How to Use lightly in a Sentence

lightly

adverb

• She moved lightly across the room.
• The judge let her off lightly with a short sentence.
• He talks lightly about the problems he's been having at work.
• Our troops were armed too lightly to take on the heavily armed invaders.
• Considering the harm he did, he's gotten off lightly with only a warning.
• These vegetables can be eaten either raw or lightly cooked.
• Lift the legs to the right up and over the medicine ball to tap the heels lightly on the other side.
  — Jennifer Nied, Women's Health, 30 Aug. 2023
• Let the soup sit in the pot to melt the cheese and lightly cook the asparagus, about 1 minute.
  — Ronna Welsh, Washington Post, 24 May 2023
• The plane went down in a lightly wooded area close to a field.
  — Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 6 June 2023
• Add the achiote and spices and toast lightly, about 30 seconds.
  — Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2024
• The fish is lightly battered in the same cornmeal that coats the frickles and okra.
  — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2023
• West agrees that no one at The Crown is taking the subject of the princess' death lightly.
  — Clark Collis, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2022
• But the whole point of a dark sky area is to tread lightly, and bears like peace and quiet, too.
  — Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 3 July 2022
• Now square up the pieces of the frame and lightly tack-weld them together.
  — Mike Allen, Popular Mechanics, 24 Mar. 2023
• Later in the show, the rocker walked off the stage and lightly punched the concertgoer in the face.
  — Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 11 Oct. 2023
• Place under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese and lightly brown.
  — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 8 Mar. 2024
• Flip the crepes once or twice more until lightly browned and cooked through.
  — G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2022
• Even though the Jaguars have lost six of their last seven games, the Ravens shouldn’t take this game lightly.
  — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 25 Nov. 2022
• Put one of the cicadas on top of each cookie and lightly press down.
  — Li Cohen, CBS News, 8 May 2024
• Line a sheet-pan with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray or oil.
  — Kim Sunée, Anchorage Daily News, 30 June 2023
• The point is, the Horned Frogs should not take their opponent lightly.
  — Dallas News, 23 Nov. 2022
• Add a handful of the greens and season lightly with salt and pepper.
  — Ali Slagle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2023
• Still, placing a non-Afghan in the central role was not a choice made lightly.
  — New York Times, 1 July 2022
• To prepare your basil for this salad, lightly rinse the leaves and pat them dry.
  — Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 9 May 2024
• Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of dough.
  — Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Feb. 2024
• The phrase is not taken lightly and is not bandied about blithely.
  — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 6 Oct. 2022
• Tap the brakes, lightly, when necessary to self-correct out of the skid.
  — John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Dec. 2024
• Return the pan to the top rack of the oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the tops of the marshmallows are lightly browned.
  — USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2022
• The transcript of this conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
  — Andy Mills, Quartz, 23 Dec. 2024
• Prepare small containers with succulent potting mix, add one offset per pot, and then lightly water so the soil is moist but not soggy.
  — Staff Author Published, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Dec. 2024

Last Updated: 16 Jan 2025