reignite

British  

/ ˌriːɪɡˈnaɪt /

verb

1. to catch fire or cause to catch fire again

   the burners reignited

2. to flare up or cause to flare up again

   to reignite the war

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Explanation

To reignite something is to light it on fire again. If you want to reignite your campfire after pouring a pail of water on it, you'll have to find some dry wood. You can literally reignite things like gas stoves, birthday candles, or sparklers if their flames have been extinguished. You can also figuratively reignite something by making it flare up in some way: "The release of the balloons at the end of the rally was sure to reignite the crowd's excitement." This word adds the "again" prefix re- to ignite, from the Latin root ignis, "fire."

Example Sentences

His antics might be off-putting, but his pursuit of renewable rockets has helped reignite humanities’ dreams for space and beyond.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

But investors may be waiting for proof points that the company’s business can reignite in the face of software-sector jitters.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

And with Wilder no longer at his peak, could a win on the road reignite his career?

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Could the rally reignite if peace returns to the Persian Gulf?

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Eventually the sons would arrive at a new transitory order and reignite the sun, letting existence begin anew.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann