Meanings
nounlight bulb (plural light bulbs)
plural light bulbs · alternative light-bulb · alternative lightbulb
- An evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament which is heated by electrical resistance to produce light.
Atticus did something that interested us: he came into the livingroom carrying a long electrical extension cord. There was a light bulb on the end.
1960 July 11, Harper Lee, chapter 15, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLCSynonyms: bulb, glow-lamp, incandescent lamp, light globe
- broadlyAn article that resembles such a bulb and converts electricity to light by any process.
an LED light bulb
1 more example
a fluorescent light bulb
- figurativelyUsed in reference to the sudden arrival of a realization, an inspiration, an idea, or the like.
a light-bulb moment
2 more examples
Figuratively speaking, a light-bulb flashed over Galvin's head early this year, and in March–along […]
1949, Forbes, volume 64, page 18A light bulb went off in my head as I had an incredible idea for a beauty product.
2010, Sandy Abrams, Your Idea, Inc., Abrams Media, →ISBN, page xi
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament which is heated by electrical resistance to produce light.
More synonyms by meaning
nounelectric lamp consisting of a transparent or translucent glass housing containing a wire filament (usually tungsten) that emits light when heated by electricity
Similar
Broader
electric lamp
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From light + bulb. First attested in 1885.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic لَمْبَة, مِصْبَاح
- لَمْبَة (lamba)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- مِصْبَاح (miṣbāḥ)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- مِصْبَاح كَهْرَبَائِيّ (miṣbāḥ kahrabāʔiyy)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- مِصْبَاح كَهْرُبَائِيّ (miṣbāḥ kahrubāʔiyy)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Bulgarian кру́шка, електри́ческа кру́шка
- кру́шка (krúška)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- електри́ческа кру́шка (elektríčeska krúška)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Catalan bombeta
- bombetaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Chinese Cantonese 電燈膽 /电灯胆
- 電燈膽 /电灯胆evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Chinese Mandarin 電燈泡 /电灯泡, 燈泡 /灯泡
- 電燈泡 /电灯泡 (diàndēngpào)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- 燈泡 /灯泡 (dēngpào)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Czech žárovka
- žárovkaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Danish pære, glødepære
- pæreevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- glødepæreevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Dutch gloeilamp, peer
- gloeilampevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- peerevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- peertjeevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- peerresembling article that converts electricity to light
- peertjeresembling article that converts electricity to light
Esperanto ampolo
- ampoloevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Estonian elektripirn, pirn
- elektripirnevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- pirnevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- lampevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Finnish hehkulamppu, lamppu
- hehkulamppuevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- lamppuevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- lamppuresembling article that converts electricity to light
- lamppusudden arrival of idea etc. — see also light-bulb moment
French ampoule, lampe
- ampouleevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- lampeevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- ampoule électriqueevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
German Glühbirne, Glühlampe
- Glühbirneevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- Glühlampeevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- Birneevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Greek ηλεκτρικός λαμπτήρας, ηλεκτρική λυχνία
- ηλεκτρικός λαμπτήρας (ilektrikós lamptíras)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- ηλεκτρική λυχνία (ilektrikí lychnía)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- γλόμπος (glómpos)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- λάμπα (lámpa)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Hebrew נוּרָה
- נוּרָה (nurá)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Hindi बल्ब, लैंप
- बल्ब (balb)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- लैंप (la͠ip)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- प्रकाश बल्ब (prakāś balb)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Hungarian égő, villanykörte
- égőevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- villanykörteevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- izzóevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- villanyégőevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Icelandic pera, ljósapera
- peraevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- ljósaperaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Irish bolgán
- bolgánevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Italian lampadina
- lampadinaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Japanese 電球
- 電球 (denkyū)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Korean 전구, 백열등
- 전구 (jeon'gu)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- 백열등 (baegyeoldeung)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Latin ampulla electrica, globulus electricus
- ampulla electricaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- globulus electricusevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- globus igniferevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Latvian kvēlspuldze, spuldze
- kvēlspuldzeevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- spuldzeevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Lithuanian lemputė
- lemputėevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Malay mentol lampu
- mentol lampuevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Māori pūrama
- pūramaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Norwegian Bokmål lyspære, pære
- lyspæreevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- pæreevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Polish żarówka, żarówka
- żarówkaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- żarówkaresembling article that converts electricity to light
- lampkasudden arrival of idea etc. — see also light-bulb moment
Portuguese lâmpada, foco
- lâmpadaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- focoevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- bulboevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- lâmpadaresembling article that converts electricity to light
Romanian bec
- becevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Russian ла́мпа нака́ливания, ла́мпочка
- ла́мпа нака́ливания (lámpa nakálivanija)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- ла́мпочка (lámpočka)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- ла́мпа (lámpa)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- электри́ческая ла́мпочка (elektríčeskaja lámpočka)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Scottish Gaelic bolgan
- bolganevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Slovak žiarovka
- žiarovkaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Spanish ampolleta, bombilla
- ampolletaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- bombillaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- bombilloevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- bujíaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- focoevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- lamparitaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Swahili balbu
- balbuevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Swedish glödlampa
- glödlampaevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Thai หลอดไฟฟ้า, หลอดไฟ
- หลอดไฟฟ้า (lɔ̀ɔt-fai-fáa)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- หลอดไฟ (lɔ̀ɔt-fai)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Turkish ampul
- ampulevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Ukrainian ла́мпа розжа́рювання, ла́мпочка
- ла́мпа розжа́рювання (lámpa rozžárjuvannja)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- ла́мпочка (lámpočka)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- ла́мпа (lámpa)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- жарі́вка (žarívka)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Urdu بَلْب, لَیمْپ
- بَلْب (balb)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
- لَیمْپ (laimp)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Vietnamese bóng đèn
- bóng đènevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Welsh bwlb golau
- bwlb golauevacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Yiddish לעמפּל
- לעמפּל (lempl)evacuated glass bulb containing a metal filament that produces light
Cite this entry
APA
light bulb. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/light%20bulb
MLA
“light bulb.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/light%20bulb. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “light bulb,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/light%20bulb.
Source: light bulb on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.