Lit Meaning
/ˈlɪt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbsimple past and past participle of light (“illuminate; start a fire; etc”)
verbsimple past and past participle of light (“alight: land, come down on”)
Sentence Examples
The whole sky lit up and there was an explosion.
Lightning lit up the room every now and then.
He ignored all the ‘No Smoking’ signs and lit up a cigarette.
CEFR Practice Quiz
With a single flick of the match, she ____ the candle on the cake.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The room was brightly ____ by a grand chandelier that hung from the center of the high ceiling tonight.
Word Origin & History
Alteration of earlier light, from Middle English lighte, from Old English līhtte, first and third person singular preterite of līhtan (“to light”), by analogy with bit. More at light; compare fit (“fought”). This form was proscribed during the 18th and 19th centuries, with lighted being preferred, but is now the most common past form of light.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] but finally [the bird] came to the tree and, after edging along falteringly, lit on a branch above them."
— 1896, Florence Merriam Bailey, A-birding on a Bronco, page 87:
"With that the kid lits off down the street, and, what do you know!"
— 1988 April 8, Grant Pick, “Johnny Washington's Life”, in Chicago Reader:
"DJ sets so lit the dance floor's dripping with sweat?"
— 2017 November, Justin Allec, Adrian Lysenko, Kirsti Salmi, “Sounds of the City: Part VI”, in The Walleye, page 8:
"If indie punk, pop-punk, post-punk, and emo happen to be your bag, this early-week show at Paper Tiger is gonna be lit."
— 2018 July 4, James Courtney, “Music Picks”, in San Antonio Current, page 39:
"New Year's Eve is once a year and it's gonna be lit."
— 2018 December 27, Shan Kekahuna, “Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!”, in MauiTime, page 17:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
With a single flick of the match, she ____ the candle on the cake.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The room was brightly ____ by a grand chandelier that hung from the center of the high ceiling tonight.