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.
Operating like a cigarette lighter, this system produced an ignition spark by bringing a piece of pyrite into contact with a revolving, spring-powered wheel.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
The residues are sorted, ground and mixed with a maceration of gum arabic to facilitate ignition, and with clay to slow combustion.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
Both leukotrienes and pseudo leukotrienes trigger inflammation by binding to the same receptor, much like a key turning an ignition to start an engine.
From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026
Police are treating the fire as deliberate ignition at this time.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026
Alex grabbed it and leaped into the Jeep, grateful to see the keys were in the ignition.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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.
