light out

English

Etymology

Phrasal verb from light (“to get down, drop, come”, verb) +‎ out (“away from”, adverb).

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

light out (third-person singular simple present lights out, present participle lighting out, simple past and past participle lit out or lighted out)

1. (intransitive, slang, dated) To go away or depart, especially in haste or without notice.

   the outlaws lit out for the border

   • 2023 March 21, Virginia Heffernan, “I Saw the Face of God in a Semiconductor Factory”, in WIRED‎:

     He didn’t see a road for him at TI, so he lit out to build one in Taiwan.

Synonyms

• abscond
• make off
• skip (informal)