a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size, surrounded by land.
any similar body or pool of other liquid, as oil.
any of various pigments prepared from animal, vegetable, or coal-tar coloring matters by chemical or other union with metallic compounds.
a red pigment prepared from lac or cochineal by combination with a metallic compound.
an expanse of water entirely surrounded by land and unconnected to the sea except by rivers or streams
anything resembling this
a surplus of a liquid commodity
a wine lake
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
a red dye obtained by combining a metallic compound with cochineal
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)
First recorded in 1610–20; variant of lac 1
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 Indigo lake, for example, is a blue pigment that was originally made from the woad plant but later from the indigo plant.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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Living on a lake was the most peaceful life I’ve ever had,” Leigh said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Competition is fierce for professional photographers at Beijing's tourist hotspots, including a scenic lake where women in flowy traditional robes pose for snaps to share on Xiaohongshu, China's massively popular lifestyle app.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
A rare fossil goose discovered in the remains of an ancient lake in Central Otago is changing scientists' understanding of how New Zealand's unique bird life evolved.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
Roof work is under way at a massive compound in the capital Pyongyang, a lake resort and a family mansion so vast in size it has missile launchpads for weapons tests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
What if I went with him to the lake?
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
I was raised near the shore of Chicago’s slice of Lake Michigan, a body of water wide and blue enough to pass for the sea.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Lake Mead was lower once before, in 2022, but Lake Powell was higher then, so the two combined held more water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Lake drying is not unusual in Australia, where long periods of low rainfall can cause water levels to fall dramatically.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
That water, equivalent to the annual use of about 600,000 typical households, is expected to add about 3 feet to Lake Mead’s level, enough to temporarily stave off critically low levels for a few months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
While the Indigenous people had avoided the area and called it Tesemini, or Lake of Spirits, European settlers enjoyed the cold, clear water.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
