noun
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the act or process of initiating combustion
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the process of igniting the fuel in an internal-combustion engine
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the devices used to ignite the fuel in an internal-combustion engine
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ignition
1605–15; Medieval Latin ignītiōn- (stem of ignītiō ) a setting on fire. See ignite, -ion
Explanation
An ignition is the firing up of something, usually an engine. Without ignition, your vehicle isn't going anywhere. You know how igniting is setting something on fire? That should help you remember that ignition means something is catching fire, like the gadget that ignites the fuel in an internal-combustion engine. Turning the key in a car causes ignition: now the car has started. If the car's battery is dead or there's no gas, ignition isn't possible, and the car won't start. To remember what ignition is, just say the catchphrase of the Human Torch: "Flame on!"
Vocabulary lists containing ignition
Inferno Lingo: Fire Vocabulary
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Elements of the Universe: Ign, Igni ("Fire")
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Long-Awaited Words from Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman"
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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.
National Ignition Facility, which first demonstrated net gain fusion in 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
Over one-third of accountants charged a fixed fee, according to a survey from Ignition, an operations platform for service-based businesses.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 20, 2026
This work received support from programs including the USyd-NUS Ignition Grant and the Duke-NUS Parkinson's Research Fund through a generous donation by The Ida C. Morris Falk Foundation.
From Science Daily • Nov. 3, 2025
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce helped with the growth of Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City with Ignition Lab that allows kids to work on transforming cars.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2024
"Ignition sequence start." "... three . . . two . . . one . . ." Clamps released, the booster rose amid a plume of smoke and fire, slowly at first, then racing ever faster.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
