combust
Americanverb (used with or without object)
adjective
verb
Etymology
Origin of combust
1325–75; Middle English < Latin combūstus (past participle of combūrere to burn up, equivalent to com- com- + -ūs- variant stem of ūrere to burn + -tus past participle suffix; -b- by misanalysis of ambūrere, another derivative, as am- + -būrere )
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.
That heat can build so quickly and so high under the right circumstances that organic materials in the area spontaneously combust.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026
But they have downsides—costly materials, a China-dominated supply chain that concerns Western governments and a tendency to combust if you’re not careful.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025
The devices contain lithium-ion batteries which, when damaged, can spontaneously combust.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2025
"Modern landfill facilities already capture, upgrade and combust their gas emissions for electricity generation, however, our process creates a much more environmentally impactful and commercially valuable product," he said.
From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2024
Within a minute their clothes combust, grass is set ablaze.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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.
