combustion

American  

[kuhm-buhs-chuhn] / kəmˈbʌs tʃən /

noun

• combustions
  plural

1. the act or process of burning.

2. Chemistry.

   1. rapid oxidation accompanied by heat and, usually, light.

   2. chemical combination attended by production of heat and light.

   3. slow oxidation not accompanied by high temperature and light.

3. violent excitement; tumult.

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combustion British  

/ kəmˈbʌstʃən /

noun

1. the process of burning

2. any process in which a substance reacts with oxygen to produce a significant rise in temperature and the emission of light

3. a chemical process in which two compounds, such as sodium and chlorine, react together to produce heat and light

4. a process in which a compound reacts slowly with oxygen to produce little heat and no light

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combustion Scientific  

/ kəm-bŭs′chən /

1. The process of burning.

2. A chemical change, especially through the rapid combination of a substance with oxygen, producing heat and, usually, light.

3. See also spontaneous combustion

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combustion Cultural  

1. Burning; a chemical reaction that involves the rapid combination of a fuel with oxygen. (See oxidation and spontaneous combustion.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• combustive
  noun
• noncombustion
  noun
• precombustion
  noun
• self-combustion
  noun
• combustive
  adjective
• noncombustive
  adjective
• uncombustive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• combustions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of combustion

1400–50; late Middle English (< Middle French ) < Late Latin combūstiōn- (stem of combūstiō ). See combust, -ion

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Explanation

Combustion means "the act of burning," like the combustion of fallen leaves that, if not extinguished immediately, can result in a forest fire. Combustion derives from the Latin word comburere, which means "to burn up." Matches, kindling, paper, and lighter fluid can be tools for combustion. In chemistry terms, combustion is any process in which a substance combines with oxygen to produce heat and light. Cars run because their engines use combustion to get the cylinders to fire.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

combustion combustions

She said the Shark has “more power and torque than the legacy ICE rivals,” referring to the internal combustion engine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

A pathologist gave the cause of the couple's deaths as exposure to combustion products of fire.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

With global demand for electric vehicles slowing, Leiters said Porsche would continue to invest in internal combustion engines and plug-in hybrids.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Rapid nanoparticle growth enabled survival to sizes that efficiently deposit throughout the human respiratory system, yielding inhalation dose rates comparable to or exceeding those from primary combustion sources such as traffic emissions.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

“All right! All right, come along. Know the principles of a internal combustion engine?”

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Insulation adds to the price tag, so the unit itself often acts as an amplifier for the whirring machinery and tiny combustions happening inside.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 10, 2022

The 2019 exhibition calendar was unusually crammed with heavily hyped shows, not to mention floating suspense and sudden combustions of fear and loathing.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2019

New York signs a pair of lesser talents like, say, Jimmy Butler and Kemba Walker, clawing its way toward a semi-interesting mediocrity before lapsing into another of its periodic combustions.

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 5, 2019

“The exit in a blaze of glory”, he says of other rockers’ early combustions, “is bullshit.”

From Economist ● Sep. 27, 2016

Hence, no new combustions or oxygenations can happen without destroying this equilibrium, and raising the combustible substances to a superior degree of temperature.

From Elements of Chemistry, In a New Systematic Order, Containing all the Modern Discoveries by Antoine Lavoisier

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Related Words

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