kindle
verb (used with object)
to start (a fire); cause (a flame, blaze, etc.) to begin burning.
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kindle
1 American
[kin-dl]
/ ˈkɪn dl /
verb (used with object)
kindled,
kindling
verb (used without object)
kindled,
kindling
-
to begin to burn, as combustible matter, a light, fire, or flame.
-
to become aroused or animated.
-
to become lighted up, bright, or glowing, as the sky at dawn or the eyes with ardor.
kindle
2
American
[kin-dl]
/ ˈkɪn dl /
verb (used with object)
kindled,
kindling
verb (used without object)
kindled,
kindling
noun
-
kindles
plural
kindle
1
British
/ ˈkɪndəl /
verb
-
to set alight or start to burn
-
to arouse or be aroused
the project kindled his interest
-
to make or become bright
Kindle
2
British
/ ˈkɪndəl /
noun
Synonym Usage
Kindle, ignite, inflame literally mean to set something on fire. To kindle is to cause something gradually to begin burning; it is often used figuratively: to kindle logs; to kindle someone's interest. To ignite is to set something on fire with a sudden burst of flame; it too is often used figuratively: to ignite straw; to ignite dangerous hatreds. Inflame is most often used figuratively, meaning to intensify, excite, or rouse: to inflame passions.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of kindle1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English kindlen, from Old Norse kynda (compare Old Norse kindill “torch, candle”) + -le ( def. )
Origin of kindle2
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English kindelen, verb use of kindel “offspring, young,” equivalent to kind- ( Old English gecynd “offspring”) + -el; see -le, kind 2
Explanation
When you start a fire burning, you can say you kindle the fire. Knowing how to kindle a campfire is an important survival skill. It can help keep you warm at night, and keep you from eating cold beans for dinner. The verb kindle not only means to start a fire, but also to catch fire. Another meaning for kindle is to arouse interest or passion. A dynamic music teacher could kindle the students' interest in learning an instrument. Or, romance can also be kindled: "As they danced together, a spark of romance kindled between them."
Vocabulary lists containing kindle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If you liked him you liked it, if not you didn’t, but he did nothing to draw you into his way of thinking, bring you along, increase your confidence, kindle a little faith.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
Hawken hopes to mend that separation by helping people discover the flow of carbon in their daily lives and kindle a sense of wonder about it.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2025
Nia Gachon, who has lived in Nantes for 18 years, said the arrival of Welsh people in the city will kindle interest in historical links.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2023
If that doesn’t kindle at least a bit of fear and empathy in your heart, you’re either a mogul or a trust fund baby who has never struggled to pay the bills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
Tom’s going on ahead candles for to kindle.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Amazon was pressuring publishers to digitize their backlists for the imminent launch of Kindle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Amazon's Kindle has its own version: "Ask this Book," described as an "expert reading assistant" that answers questions about plot and characters "without disrupting your reading flow."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Adoption of e-readers like the Kindle and Kobo didn’t replace physical books; and despite the shuttering of mass-market chains like Borders, Waldenbooks and B. Dalton, the last 30 years have seen a reading boom.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
"I love paper books like anyone does, but the Kindle is more practical," Kay added.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
Kindle a fire for Manike Of the dust of the banyan tree.”
From Fishes, Flowers, and Fire as Elements and Deities in the Phallic Faiths and Worship of the Ancient Religions of Greece, Babylon, by Anonymous
Tanton kindles a small fire of twigs inside a metal pitcher, while expounding for the camera about ecology and overpopulation.
From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2024
And so Byrne, with no one to listen to, kindles into speech.
From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2022
Clowders of cats — and kindles of kittens — are drearily cliche, but cat chowder was a delightful — if unintended — bit of comic relief.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 13, 2018
And the Sterling-Risa romance kindles with a slow dance to a jukebox tune.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 23, 2018
His eye kindles at the sight, and balancing himself with half-open wings on the branch, he watches the result.
From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.
Adams kindled a professional interest in tech in 2001 after a computer scientist who designed algorithms for air-traffic control invited him to visit MIT’s Media Lab.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
A gift of screenwriting software from girlfriend Zinzi -- now his wife, production partner and mother of their three children -- further kindled his ambition.
From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026
Among the locals, his arrival has kindled hopes of an economic renaissance, but it has also stoked controversy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
The medieval monuments that dotted Baharampur, the city he grew up in, kindled his interest in history and he pursued the subject in college.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2025
He whistled softly when I kindled a spark with the flint and steel.
From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Wildfires are raging across southwestern Europe after prolonged, record-setting heat waves and low rainfall effectively turned the region’s vegetation into kindling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
An ash tree in my yard dropped a limb and reduced my fence to kindling.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026
We matter as much to him as a firestorm cares about kindling.
From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2026
In California, overgrown vegetation that turned to kindling amid record-breaking heat fueled the Park fire after it sparked in July.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2024
His soldiers reduced the forest to a heap of kindling.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
