kindling
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of kindling
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at kindle 1, -ing 1
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How does kindling compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The small pieces of wood you use to start a fire are called kindling. When you go camping, you can gather kindling, little twigs and branches, to use in a campfire. Kindling helps a fire get going because it's small and dry, easily flammable. Once the kindling is burning, it can ignite the larger pieces of wood in your fire. You can also use this word to mean "the act of lighting," so you could say, "Kindling this fire is so hard after all that rain we had." Kindling comes from the Old Norse root kynda, "to light a fire."
Vocabulary lists containing kindling
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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.
On the ground floor of Chicago’s tallest building, the restaurant Kindling features tall ceilings, lots of light and a 13-foot live-fire hearth presided over by the tattooed chef, Jonathon Sawyer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025
Kindling that cultural connection and familiarity is also what drives vendor Mayra Sibrian of Selva Central Goods, which aims to expand people’s perception of pan dulce, or sweet breads.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2024
Kindling the lifetime ahead of us, and the thousands of ways that I will gift her my passion for food.
From Salon • Jun. 19, 2021
Photo by Alia Smith So, yes, Kindling is also a magazine for dads who can afford to buy a $560 coat, or at least who want to entertain the notion.
From Slate • Feb. 22, 2013
He saith that the Wood upon the Walls is v. injured from the Redcoats & that the Balustrades be taken for Kindling.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
