Definition of "lighter"

lighter¹

/ˈlaɪtɚ/

noun
plural lighters
1. A person who lights things.
2. A device used to light things, especially a reusable handheld device for creating fire to light cigarettes.

lighter²

/ˈlaɪtɚ/

noun
plural lighters
1. A flat-bottomed boat for carrying heavy loads across short distances (especially for canals or for loading or unloading larger boats).
  Quotations
  It is, of course, possible to work only to or from lighters in this way, and such working is not very general in this country, although a certain amount of such overside work is carried on in enclosed docks.
  1945 January and February, T. F. Cameron, “Dock Working”, in Railway Magazine, page 9
verb
third-person singular simple present lighters, present participle lightering, simple past and past participle lightered
1. To transfer (cargo or passengers) to or from a ship by means of a lighter or other small vessel.
  Quotations
  Troops and stores were lightered to the wharves inside the harbor by steamers Orizaba and Berkshire.
  1900. Report of the Commission Appointed by the President to Investigate the Conduct of the War Department in the War with Spain. Vol. 7, pg. 3227.
2. To transfer cargo or fuel from (a ship), lightening it to make its draft less or to make it easier to refloat.

lighter³

/ˈlaɪtɚ/

adjective
1. comparative form of light: more light

lighter⁴

/ˈlaɪtɚ/

adjective
1. comparative form of light: more light
  Quotations
  It is lighter to handle and more manoeuvrable, and its three caged sides with web straps on the fourth prevent movement of the contents.
  1964 May, “News and Comment: WR's new parcel traffic method”, in Modern Railways, page 300
  For example, lightweight construction and Jacobs bogies save weight, and a lighter train uses less power.
  2021 May 19, David Clough, “Swiss precision meets UK growth”, in RAIL, number 931, page 57