lit
- 1Past tense of light. Use this form for lighting a fire or turning on a light in the past.
She lit the candles before dinner.
He lit a fire in the old stove to warm the cabin.
UsageSay she lit the fire and the fire was lit.
Note
- 2
- 3
- 4Short form of literature. It often means printed handouts or information sheets.
She handed out lit about the new recycling program.
Grab some lit from the front desk on your way in.
UsageSay lit class or lit review.
Less common meanings
- 5
- 6Past tense of light, meaning to land or come down on something. Use it for past actions.
The bird lit on the branch and looked around.
A butterfly lit gently on her hand.
UsageSay a bird lit on a branch.
Note
- 7
- 8Small in size or amount.
Note
- 9A small amount of something.
Note
- 10Sexually excited, often in a way others can notice.
- 11To give something color by using dye.
- 12Color, or a dye used to color things.
Showing meanings only.
lit is a form of light
light, verb: To give light to a place so people can see. Full entry
- Spelling
- light → lit: irregular (no -ed)
Practice
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Origins
This is a past tense of "light." It comes from an old English form and was later made to look like "bit."
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- Lit is a past tense of light. en.wiktionary.org
- Lit derives ultimately from an Old English form. en.wiktionary.org
- Lit developed by analogy with bit. en.wiktionary.org
It comes from Old English "lȳt," meaning "little" or "few."
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- Lit comes from Old English lȳt, meaning little or few. en.wiktionary.org
It is a short form of "literature."
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- Lit is a short form of literature. en.wiktionary.org