lighter

noun

1. A person who lights things.

   “a lighter of lamps”

2. A device used to light things, especially a reusable handheld device for creating fire to light cigarettes.

   “Cigarette in mouth, he clutched his pockets in search of a lighter.”

3. A flat-bottomed boat for carrying heavy loads across short distances (especially for canals or for loading or unloading larger boats).

   “It is, of course, possible to work only to or from lighters in this way, and such working is not very general in this country, although a certain amount of such overside work is carried on in enclosed docks.”

verb

1. To transfer (cargo or passengers) to or from a ship by means of a lighter or other small vessel.

   “1900. Report of the Commission Appointed by the President to Investigate the Conduct of the War Department in the War with Spain. Vol. 7, pg. 3227. Troops and stores were lightered to the wharves inside the harbor by steamers Orizaba and Berkshire.”

   “Beyond the station an extension descends at 1 in 30, the steepest gradient on the line, to Government Wharf, where cargo is lightered to and from ships at anchor in the harbour.”

2. To transfer cargo or fuel from (a ship), lightening it to make its draft less or to make it easier to refloat.

adj

1. (comparative, form-of)comparative form of light: more light

   “I prefer a lighter shade of pink.”

2. (comparative, form-of)comparative form of light: more light

   “What happened? You look 10 lbs. lighter!”

   “I wish I'd thrown a lighter punch; he's out cold.”

   “The way the glare from our engine firehole pulsated, reflecting continuously in the steam, combined with our achievement in keeping level with the lighter train until our metals parted at Wilton, provided another lasting memory.”

   “It is lighter to handle and more manoeuvrable, and its three caged sides with web straps on the fourth prevent movement of the contents.”

   “For example, lightweight construction and Jacobs bogies save weight, and a lighter train uses less power.”