ignite
Americanverb (used with object)
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to set on fire; kindle.
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Chemistry. to heat intensely; roast.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to catch fire or set fire to; burn or cause to burn
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(tr) chem to heat strongly
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(tr) to stimulate or provoke
the case has ignited a nationwide debate
Related Words
See kindle 1.
Other Word Forms
- ignitability noun
- ignitable adjective
- ignitibility noun
- ignitible adjective
- nonignitability noun
- nonignitable adjective
- nonignitibility noun
- nonignitible adjective
- reignite verb (used with object)
- unignitable adjective
- unignited adjective
- unigniting adjective
Etymology
Origin of ignite
First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin ignītus “set on fire,” past participle of ignīre “to set on fire,” from ign(is) “fire” + -īre, infinitive verb suffix
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.
The news has ignited fears of economic devastation.
“It shows that we are weaving the brand into the fabric of the culture and things are just igniting on their own,” Louvet said.
Brown dwarfs are often referred to as "failed stars" -- because they form in a similar way to stars but never grow massive enough to ignite nuclear fusion in their cores.
From Science Daily
That’s because no other play has the same dual impact—defusing an opponent’s drive while igniting one of their own.
When devising her third studio album, Sampa the Great looked to the niche, brief musical movement that ignited her birth country more than 50 years ago.
From BBC
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.
