kindle
verb (used with object)
to start (a fire); cause (a flame, blaze, etc.) to begin burning.
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:
The author visits public and charter schools, meeting teachers who despair at their inability to kindle even the slightest interest in young people whose curiosity has been extinguished by the internet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
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
In short, it’s helped kindle an interest in birding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2023
Tehlu sent men to cut a dozen evergreens and use them to kindle a bonfire in the bottom of the deep pit they had dug.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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
"A Kindle is a text device! There is no need for updates."
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
In November 2007, Amazon launched its own reading device, named Kindle, with a catalog of 80,000 ebooks on Amazon's website.
From A Short History of EBooks by Marie Lebert
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
When he meets a young rising superstar, their relationship kindles a newfound competitive fire in him, but it risks throwing her off her game.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2022
Even today, after decades of air travel that dehumanizes passengers, Saarinen’s structure elicits delight and kindles old hopes.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 12, 2019
“As we saw last summer and this year again, digital ebooks and kindles are no substitute for having a physical novel to throw into a suitcase and read in the sun.”
From The Guardian ● Jul. 24, 2015
When 'he' snores his loudest while 'she' kindles the fire.
From Health, Happiness, and Longevity Health without medicine: happiness without money: the result, longevity by Louis Philippe McCarty
She argues that Richmond, alienated from the king and disgusted by parliamentary passivity, kindled a printed firestorm in the public sphere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
For some in Dandong, North Korea's tentative reopening kindled hope of returning home.
From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026
Speaking at her late husband’s memorial service on Sept. 21, Erika Kirk said Charlie’s death had kindled a spiritual renewal for many of his followers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025
The pair of reality TV stars who kindled a romance last year on “Love Island” Season 6 have called it quits, The Times confirmed Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2025
Flushed and kindled thus, he looked nearly as beautiful for a man as she for a woman.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
California has tens of millions of dead trees to serve as kindling for the next mega-fire, yet no single entity has sufficient authority or resources to address the threat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2025
Done sweeping up ash in the fireplace, the servant girl stacks new wood into a pyramid with aromatic pine for kindling resting on top.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
