lava lamp

noun

plural lava lamps

: a decorative lamp constructed of a transparent glass container filled with liquid and wax that is heated by an incandescent bulb which melts the wax and causes it to form random moving shapes within the liquid

Lava lamps are back—and not just among retro hipsters lounging on shag rugs and waterbeds.

—Richard A. Kerr

The lava lamp on my son's bureau gives him a vantage point to ponder the colorful blobs rising and falling as their temperature and density change.

—Benjamin A. Brooks

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Daisy Jones, in addition to spawning an album, yields limitless spending prompts: Prime subscribers can order Reid’s back catalog, in print or audio; a copy of Rumors; a lava lamp. —Alexandra Molotkow, The New Republic, 3 Mar. 2023

Surely a lava lamp, for now—a diversion of the moment. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above