noun
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the act or process of initiating combustion
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the process of igniting the fuel in an internal-combustion engine
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the devices used to ignite the fuel in an internal-combustion engine
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ignition
1605–15; Medieval Latin ignītiōn- (stem of ignītiō ) a setting on fire. See ignite, -ion
Explanation
An ignition is the firing up of something, usually an engine. Without ignition, your vehicle isn't going anywhere. You know how igniting is setting something on fire? That should help you remember that ignition means something is catching fire, like the gadget that ignites the fuel in an internal-combustion engine. Turning the key in a car causes ignition: now the car has started. If the car's battery is dead or there's no gas, ignition isn't possible, and the car won't start. To remember what ignition is, just say the catchphrase of the Human Torch: "Flame on!"
Vocabulary lists containing ignition
Inferno Lingo: Fire Vocabulary
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Elements of the Universe: Ign, Igni ("Fire")
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Long-Awaited Words from Harper Lee's "Go Set a Watchman"
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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:
But he is looking at the wrong ignition source.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
A few 9s to keep the ignition crew humble.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
It has emerged from decades of fire suppression, the abandonment of rural landscapes, shifts in agricultural policy, growing human ignition sources and increasingly dangerous fire weather.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
If tunnelling releases it into a confined space and it comes into contact with a spark or another ignition source, it can ignite or explode, a government official said.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Miss Love didn’t even notice when I cut off the ignition.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Projects have included blocking irrigation canals to help restore wetlands, strengthening firefighting capabilities, and stepping up efforts to prevent accidental human ignitions.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Greek firefighters faced another day of battling flames in high-risk conditions for new ignitions on Friday as France and Spain hoped for reprieve from massive infernos that blackened swathes of terrain.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Company executives said most of those ignitions were small fires that did not spread.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025
Efforts to manage excess vegetation in fire-risk areas, as well as advances in preventing ignitions, fire detection and fire fighting could help reduce the number and severity fires in future.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2025
The other two sets were still in the ignitions, but the first two were missing.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
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.
