lasers

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of laser.

   Modern factories rely on lasers to cut and weld metal parts.

   Astronomers bounce lasers off reflectors left on the Moon to measure its distance.

   Note

   The ordinary -s plural. It counts whatever the singular can count: devices, beams, or the laser printers in an office. The clipped name for laser hair removal is uncountable, so a clinic offers laser treatment, not lasers. The same spelling also names a gum resin from certain umbelliferous plants, and the plants themselves. In a botanical setting, therefore, lasers may be plants rather than beams of light.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of laser.

   The technician lasers the metal sheet along a carefully marked line.

   A dermatologist lasers the scar tissue to reduce its appearance.

   Note

   The verb was made from the noun, and it always takes an object: someone lasers a scar or a sheet of metal. In informal sports talk, a player lasers a ball, throwing or kicking it with laser-like precision. The spelling is shared with the plural noun, so the sentence decides: in "she lasers it" the word is a verb, and in "the lasers" it is a noun.

   The striker lasers the ball into the top corner.

   Their quarterback lasers a throw across the middle.

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