noun
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a type of firework that throws out showers of sparks
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informal a sparkling gem
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sparkler
Explanation
A sparkler is a firework that glows and sparks as you hold in you hand. A sparkler burns very slowly, giving you time to wave it around and make patterns in the dark before its flame goes out. Most sparklers are thin pieces of flexible metal that are partly coated with chemicals that burn and sparkle. Though sparklers are often thought of as a fireworks for kids, they burn at a very high temperature and can cause serious burns if they're not used carefully. Sparklers are particularly beautiful when they're lit outside in the dark. While the sparkler's invention is a bit of a mystery, the word sparkler came into use around 1879, from the verb sparkle.
Vocabulary lists containing sparkler
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:
A brilliant field of red, white, and blue stars sparkles across a new image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, resembling a sparkler glowing against the night sky.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
Or can we light a sparkler and genuinely enjoy a rare moment of earned self-congratulation this weekend?
From Slate ● Jul. 4, 2026
My dentist from a decade ago came through with a picture of a cupcake decked in a sparkler.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
That big ol’ sparkler had been on the scene since early last year, debuting publicly at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards a year ago January.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
Shay held the safety sparkler at arm’s length.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
About 13,000 people were injured by fireworks last year and an estimated 1,300 emergency room treated injuries involved sparklers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Befitting the name, the drink arrives in a frozen pineapple crowned with sparklers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
The blaze at Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana is believed to have started when sparklers attached to champagne bottles set light to sound-insulating foam padding on the ceiling.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026
Initial findings suggest that the fire was caused by sparklers coming into contact with soundproofing foam installed on the ceiling of the establishment's basement.
From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026
Finally, the whole glittering thing was finished, some parts of it newly sprung to life, the first few lines already starting to fade as the sparklers exhausted themselves.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.
