tail-lamp

The car's red tail-lamp glows brightly in the evening.

Definition

Noun: - A rear light on a vehicle: "tail-lamp" refers to a light, typically red, mounted at the back of an automobile, bicycle, or other vehicle to signal its presence to following traffic, especially at night or in poor visibility.

Usage Examples

• (The rear light was damaged and needed a new one.)
• (Ensure the rear light functions for safety.)

Advanced Usage

• "tail-lamp unit": the entire assembly containing the tail-lamp, often including brake lights and turn signals.
  • The tail-lamp unit on the new model is LED-based. (The complete rear light system uses light-emitting diodes.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tail-light (n): a common alternative spelling for "tail-lamp," meaning the same thing.
  • The tail-light was dim, so I replaced the bulb. (The rear light was not bright enough.)
• Tail-lamp lens (n): the transparent cover over the tail-lamp.
  • The tail-lamp lens was cracked in the accident. (The protective cover was damaged.)
• Tail-lamp bulb (n): the light source inside the tail-lamp.
  • I need to buy a new tail-lamp bulb for the left side. (The bulb that produces the light.)

Synonyms

• Rear light: a general term for any light at the back of a vehicle.
• Tail light: the most common synonym, used interchangeably with "tail-lamp."
• Stop lamp: sometimes used to refer specifically to the brake light, which is often part of the tail-lamp assembly.

Related Idioms

• "a tail-lamp moment": (rare, informal) a moment when one is caught or exposed due to a minor oversight, like a broken tail-lamp attracting police attention.
  • Forgetting to fix the tail-lamp led to a tail-lamp moment with the traffic officer. (A small mistake caused a problem.)