lampshade

UK/ˈlæmp.ʃeɪd/

lampshade noun: a cover over a lamp to either diffuse the light or to block it in certain directions to avoid glare in the eyes.

Image: LoMit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

lampshade (plural lampshades)

A cover over a lamp to either diffuse the light or to block it in certain directions to avoid glare in the eyes.
- It was all very well, this Bohemianism of red lamp-shades and cigarettes, but in the cold grey light that filtered through Partridge's grimy windows it did not show to any great advantage.1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 130
- The hanging-bowl lampshade in marbled glass was two decades pre-war – the kind that marked out aged people.1998, Derek Beaven, chapter 9, in Acts of Mutiny, London: Fourth Estate, →ISBN, part 1 (Motion), page 34

Verb

lampshade (third-person singular simple present lampshades, present participle lampshading, simple past and past participle lampshaded)

(slang) To intentionally call attention to the improbable, incongruent, or clichéd nature of an element or situation featured in a work of fiction within the work itself.
- Only one short bit of humor is endearing, lampshading the ridiculousness of an eye-mask being able to conceal a superhero's identity.2011 June 21, Corinne Gaston, “Adapted comic book flick has the ring, but no power”, in Daily Trojan
- Rewriting a whole character is one heck of a chore but the editor/writer must either bite the bullet or indulge in some clever trickery like lampshading.2013, Heide Goody, Iain Grant, How to Write a Collaborative Novel, →ISBN
To wear an oversize top with skintight thigh-high boots and no leggings.
- Pants. Who needs them? Definitely not celebrities sporting the lampshading or "no pants" trend this summer.2017 September 27, Sara M Moniuszko, “Lampshading lives on with the 'no pants' trend – The leggy styles, explained”, in USA TODAY
- Kate Moss lampshaded, Bella Hadid lampshaded—hell, nearly every Kardashian took the trend for a spin.2018 August 17, Lindsey Lanquist, “We're Halfway Through 2018, and Ariana Grande Is Still Lampshading”, in Style Caster
To adorn with one or more lampshades.
- Her hotel sitting-room had, as usual, been flowered, cushioned and lampshaded into a delusive semblance of stability; and she had really felt, for the last few weeks, that the life she was leading there must be going to last — it seemed so perfect an answer to all her wants!1913, Edith Wharton, The Custom of the Country
To design or create lampshades.
- Ruth Vitow (160 East 56th Street, 355-6881) has been the doyenne of lampshading for 30 years. She makes up designs in all categories, and her own custom lamps of Lucite and wood.1975, New York - Volume 8, page 181
- Finally she took a job decorating lampshades. Lampshading, as she called it, left her drained and without impetus or inspiration to draw, which always made her unhappy.1993, Audur H. Winnan, Wanda Gag, page 8

lampshade meaning in Hindi, Kannada, Tagalog and Arabic

lampshade in Hindi

cover over a lamp: दीपछत्र dīpchatra

lampshade in Kannada

ದೀಪದ ಮುಸುಕು, ದೀಪದ ಮರೆ

lampshade in Tagalog

cover over a lamp: pantalya ng lampaba

lampshade in Arabic

cover over a lamp: أَبَاجُور ʔabāžūr, عَاكِس النُّور ʕākis an-nūr, عَاكِس الضُّوء ʕākis aḍ-ḍūʔ

More languagesFewer languages

lampshade in Malay: kap lampu, tudung lampu
lampshade in Indonesian: kap lampu
lampshade in Persian: آباژور âbâžur
lampshade in Thai: โป๊ะ bpó
lampshade in Vietnamese: chụp đèn, tán đèn, chao đèn
lampshade in Myanmar: စလောင်း ca.laung:

Examples of lampshade in a sentence

Have you seen Trimmer in that frightful frock like a canary lampshade?
I got a unicorn duvet, unicorn lampshade and unicorn lamp.
The hanging-bowl lampshade in marbled glass was two decades pre-war – the kind that marked out aged people.

All 13 example sentences with lampshade

Forms of lampshade

Noun
plural	lampshades
alternative form	lamp-shade
Verb
third-person singular present	lampshades
present participle	lampshading
past participle	lampshaded
past	lampshaded

Origin of lampshade

From lamp + shade. The verb sense comes from the idea of making something more conspicuous by hanging a lampshade on it.

Words formed from lampshade

Phrases with lampshade

lampshade hats

Questions about lampshade

What does lampshade mean?: Lampshade means a cover over a lamp to either diffuse the light or to block it in certain directions to avoid glare in the eyes.
What is lampshade in Hindi?: Lampshade in Hindi is दीपछत्र (dīpchatra). See Lampshade meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is lampshade?: Lampshade can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce lampshade?: Lampshade is pronounced /ˈlæmp.ʃeɪd/ (UK).
What is the plural of lampshade?: The plural of lampshade is lampshades.

Words near lampshade in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: lampshade (page history and authors); lampshade (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-lampshade.wav.

Cite this entry: “lampshade.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lampshade. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.