kindling

American  

[kind-ling] / ˈkɪnd lɪŋ /

noun

1. material that can be readily ignited, used in starting a fire.

2. the act of one who kindles. kindle.

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kindling British  

/ ˈkɪndlɪŋ /

noun

1. material for starting a fire, such as dry wood, straw, etc

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Other Word Forms

• unkindling adjective

Etymology

Origin of kindling

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; kindle ¹, -ing ¹

Compare meaning

How does kindling compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• tinder vs. kindling

Example Sentences

“My niece Penelope has an affliction of the foot,” she said, shooting me a look that could have set fire to kindling wood.

From Literature

Last month, Unesco recognised it as a Creative City of Gastronomy - adding it to a select list of global cities and kindling hopes that it will spotlight Lucknow's sublime food.

From BBC

He set the children to gather kindling wood for the campfire.

From Literature

Adding kindling to the social media firestorm, other X users resurfaced previous clips of B. Simone noting that she preferred men who were entrepreneurs over those who worked 9-to-5 jobs.

From Los Angeles Times

California has tens of millions of dead trees to serve as kindling for the next mega-fire, yet no single entity has sufficient authority or resources to address the threat.

From Los Angeles Times