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• lake
  lake

  noun

  a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size, surrounded by land.
• Lake
  Lake

  noun

  Simon, 1866–1945, U.S. engineer and naval architect.

lake

¹ American  

[layk] / leɪk /

noun

1. a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size, surrounded by land.

2. any similar body or pool of other liquid, as oil.

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idioms

1. (go) jump in the lake, (used as an exclamation of dismissal or impatience.)

lake ² American  

[layk] / leɪk /

noun

1. any of various pigments prepared from animal, vegetable, or coal-tar coloring matters by chemical or other union with metallic compounds.

2. a red pigment prepared from lac or cochineal by combination with a metallic compound.

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Lake ³ American  

[layk] / leɪk /

noun

1. Simon, 1866–1945, U.S. engineer and naval architect.

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lake ¹ British  

/ leɪk /

noun

1. an expanse of water entirely surrounded by land and unconnected to the sea except by rivers or streams

2. anything resembling this

3. a surplus of a liquid commodity

   a wine lake

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lake ² British  

/ leɪk /

noun

1. a bright pigment used in textile dyeing and printing inks, produced by the combination of an organic colouring matter with an inorganic compound, usually a metallic salt, oxide, or hydroxide See also mordant

2. a red dye obtained by combining a metallic compound with cochineal

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lake Scientific  

/ lāk /

1. A large inland body of standing fresh or salt water. Lakes generally form in depressions, such as those created by glacial or volcanic action; they may also form when a section of a river becomes dammed or when a channel is isolated by a change in a river's course.

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Etymology

Origin of lake¹

before 1000; Middle English lak ( e ), lac ( e ), apparently a conflation of Old French lac, its source, Latin lacus (compare Greek lákkos, Old Irish loch, Old English, Old Saxon lagu sea, water) and Old English lacu stream, water course (compare leccan to moisten, modern dial. lake stream, channel; see leach ¹)

Origin of lake²

First recorded in 1610–20; variant of lac ¹

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Explanation

A lake is a large body of water that is surrounded by land. The lake's water can be fresh (like Lake Michigan) or, more rarely, salty (like the Great Salt Lake). A lake is generally accepted as being bigger than a "pond." Lake is also a type of pigment or dye that is made when a dye that can dissolve is mixed with a metallic salt or other binder that is incapable of being dissolved, rendering an insoluble pigment. Indigo lake, for example, is a blue pigment that was originally made from the woad plant but later from the indigo plant. Carmine or crimson lake, on the other hand, is made from crushed cochineal insects and is a red pigment.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lake Lake

After just four decades, the lake had dropped nearly 50 feet, doubled in salinity and shrunk to half its original volume.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

My favorite time to visit is in late summer and fall, when migratory birds converge on the lake to feast on its abundant brine shrimp and alkali flies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

"This river can flood if the glacier collapses or if the glacial lake bursts out and we are living in constant fear."

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

The community offered access to a lake and creek, along with equestrian facilities and a shared lodge.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

When she swam in the lake and tried to hold her breath, she felt the same kind of nervousness that she felt when she was supposed to have read her poem.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The forest is home to one of the largest continuous areas of blanket bog in the Lake District and acts as a huge carbon store.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

In Salt Lake City, one recipient, George’s cousin, quickly learned that some neighbors were also raising the giant trees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Our destinations included family and friends in places as diverse as Salt Lake City, Oconomowoc, Wis., Chicago, Maryland, and the Eastern seaboard: Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Ever present to the south, Mono Lake dominates the view from the highway.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

“We’ll bring the rains back, Pond. You’ll see. And soon, your waters will return, and I can call you Lake instead of Pond.”

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

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Related Words

• basin
• lagoon
• pond
• pool
• reservoir

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