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:
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
Temperatures in the area were in the lower 90s, and humidity levels were aboutaround 18% around the time of ignition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
Others said they found "closure" in knowing the fire was intentional and not something that, after a lengthy investigation, could ultimately be attributed to a freak accident or a natural ignition.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
I get in and push the ignition button.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
But he added they cannot make right now a direct comparison in terms of burnt areas or number of ignitions.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 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
Second: Techniques to prevent fire ignitions in the first place, such as deploying arson watch teams on high-wind days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 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.
