Synonyms

ignite

American

[ig-nahyt] / ɪgˈnaɪt /

verb (used with object)

to set on fire; kindle.
Chemistry. to heat intensely; roast.

verb (used without object)

to take fire; begin to burn.

ignite British

/ ɪɡˈnaɪt /

verb

to catch fire or set fire to; burn or cause to burn
(tr) chem to heat strongly
(tr) to stimulate or provoke

the case has ignited a nationwide debate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See kindle ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of ignite

First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin ignītus “set on fire,” past participle of ignīre “to set on fire,” from ign(is) “fire” + -īre, infinitive verb suffix

Explanation

Ignite is a verb that means to start heat or a flame. Trying to ignite a match inside a dark fireworks factory is a really bad idea — one that can get you blown sky high. The literal definition of ignite is to cause something to catch fire or burn. Dousing a house in gasoline and putting a lit match to the front door will surely cause the home to ignite. In its more figurative sense, ignite means to inspire intense feelings. A passionate kiss can ignite a fiery romance and a controversial speech can ignite fierce anger.

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Vocabulary lists containing ignite

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Chains

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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:

ignite ignites ignited igniting

Families should anticipate these disparities and discuss them openly before they ignite resentments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

They open their second Champions League campaign under Unai Emery at Club Brugge on Tuesday aiming to ignite the season.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

During severe droughts, these normally wet landscapes can dry enough to ignite.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

"El Nino does not ignite fires. It creates the dry conditions that allow human-started fires to escape and become very large," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

“But if you think about it, all it needs is a tiny spark to ignite the gas,” I said.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

“When you see someone, and you’re excited, or you’re angry,” Suwinyattichaiporn said, “it ignites a similar part of the brain.”

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

“The key is whether this ignites further rounds of strikes from both sides, and whether it leaves shippers hesitant to navigate the Strait of Hormuz,” ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Shin may be trying to remove fuel before the room ignites on its own.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

For many though, especially those with living memory of conflict and the atomic bombings, any shift away from pacifism ignites fear.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

Cinna climbs up before us and ignites our headdresses.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

The protests - ignited at the Lycée Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry in the deprived Paris suburb of Créteil - have struck a chord across the country.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The collision on the narrow two-lane highway ignited a fire that engulfed the 17-passenger mid-sized commercial shuttle bus, which had a 50-year-old driver and five passengers onboard, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

The spark was ignited on September 23 when 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her lifelong Madrid home on a stretcher after the real estate firm that owned the apartment drastically hiked the rent.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Earl Spencer, the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, has ignited a fresh row with the Palace following claims in his upcoming book, which feature heavily in today's papers.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

The room ignited with a buzz of murmuring voices.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

AI agents may give everyday shoppers an edge, but the technology is igniting an even more intense tug of war over consumer dollars.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Gardner-Johnson stepped into frame and reeled in the interception, returning it 41 yards and igniting the crowd at the just-opened Highmark Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Xcel has said its equipment was likely involved in igniting the blaze, but the utility disputes that it was negligent in maintaining and operating its infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

These surge for tens of kilometers, splintering trees, igniting forests and burying the remnants beneath hot ash and pumice.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

It can be reasonably assumed that she was surrounded by a frightening cacophony of sounds — wood igniting and burning wildly, the glass of windows exploding, stairways and ceilings collapsing.

From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023