especially: a mechanical or electrical device used for lighting cigarettes, cigars, or pipes
Examples of lighter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Also inside: canisters of butane, a highly flammable and explosive substance used as fuel for camping stoves, torches and cigarette lighters.—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024 The eight-member troupe utilize lighters, hubcaps, paint cans and tires to make beautiful sounds.—John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2024 Wong says of his hefty torch, which replaced the meager cigarette and barbecue lighters of years past, before reaching into a solid brick oven to ignite handfuls of paper representing money into a blaze that sent ashes floating out.—Michael Laris, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024 There were cocktail sets for the traveling drinker (or the drinking traveler), compendiums that included cigarette cases, lighters, clocks, and pill boxes, and, since 1930, exquisite writing instruments produced by the Japanese lacquer specialist Namiki.—Paul Croughton, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2024 Three lighters are included in the collection, each with colorways that coordinate with the pens: Line 2, Maxjet and Slim 7.—Nancy Olson, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Such labs use butane, a highly combustible gas commonly used in lighters and camp stoves, to extract a potent, waxy cannabis concentrate known as hash oil or honey oil from marijuana plants.—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024 Ibrahim hoped to find his collection of Zippo lighters, a copper drum, an antique radio, a sword that had belonged to his grandfather and some gold jewelry that Pinar had received from her mother.—Safak Timur Emin Ozmen, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024 Inside his car, officials found lighters and electronic devices that, according to court records, had audio and video recordings of Maynard talking about committing arson, and the sound of matches being struck.—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lighter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English, from Middle Dutch *lichter, from lichten to unload; akin to Old English lēoht light in weight
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