Illustration of light bulb
- 1 bulb containing gas
- 2 filament
- 3 connecting and supporting wires
- 4 exhaust tube
- 5 screw base
- 6 base contact
light bulb
noun
variants
or lightbulb
plural light bulbs or lightbulbs
: an electric lamp: such as
a
: one in which a filament gives off light when heated to incandescence by an electric current
called also incandescent, incandescent lamp
b
: one having a coating of fluorescent material on its inner surface that emits visible light : fluorescent lamp
especially
: compact fluorescent light
c
: one using LEDs to generate light
Examples of light bulb in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The beetle manages to grab a leaf and right herself again before climbing its green surface to discover the call of a new light bulb.
—
María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
From here, all that’s left to pick out are the light bulbs.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 31 Mar. 2026
The Yorktown community honored Gorman and her family on Saturday, with residents using light bulbs tinted in one of Yorktown's school colors, green, to show support.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Two of the six back ventilation hood light bulbs were not working properly.
—Sacbee.com, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for light bulb
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María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
From here, all that’s left to pick out are the light bulbs.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 31 Mar. 2026
The Yorktown community honored Gorman and her family on Saturday, with residents using light bulbs tinted in one of Yorktown's school colors, green, to show support.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Two of the six back ventilation hood light bulbs were not working properly.
—Sacbee.com, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for light bulb
Cite this Entry
“Light bulb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/light%20bulb. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lightbulb
noun
light·bulb
ˈlīt-ˌbəlb 
: an electric lamp: as
a
: one in which a filament gives off light when heated by an electric current
called also incandescent lamp
b
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