rekindle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to excite, stir up, or rouse anew.
efforts to rekindle their romance;
comments that rekindled her anger.
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to cause to begin burning again; ignite again.
Never use gasoline to rekindle a fire.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to arouse or cause to be aroused again
rekindle the romance in your relationship
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to set alight or start to burn again
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rekindlesimple
-
rekindlessimple
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have rekindledperfect
-
has rekindledperfect
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am rekindlingprogressive
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are rekindlingprogressive
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is rekindlingprogressive
-
have been rekindlingperfect progressive
-
has been rekindlingperfect progressive
Past
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rekindledsimple
-
had rekindledperfect
-
was rekindlingprogressive
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were rekindlingprogressive
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had been rekindlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rekindle
First recorded in 1590–1600; re- ( def. ) + kindle 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Use the verb rekindle when you're trying to get something started again, like a fire or a romance. If your campfire goes out while you're getting the marshmallows out of your tent, you'll want to rekindle it. Likewise, if you've lost touch with a childhood friend, you might try to rekindle your relationship when you meet again as adults. Re means "again," and kindle means "start a fire," probably from the Old Norse kynda, "to light a fire." Rekindle has been used in the figurative sense from around 1300.
Vocabulary lists containing rekindle
President Trump's Second State of the Union Address (2019)
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"Frankenstein"
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Loser
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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.
If this series decider goes against them, it will rekindle scrutiny on those in managerial positions.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
The two actresses make for a smashing comic duo in this production of the Noël Coward play about two women eager to rekindle a romance with the same French lothario.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
What’s more, higher-for-longer energy prices could rekindle worries about a hard landing for the economy, he said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
But it’s “the physical action of showing up,” the effort McCarthy makes to rekindle languishing friendships that goes a long way in proving just how much these friendships mean.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
Mareth had told him that torches burned all night long in the corridor outside his room and he could rekindle the flame there.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
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.
