rekindle

American  

[ree-kin-dl] / riˈkɪn dl /

verb (used with object)

• rekindles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• rekindled,
  past participle,  past
• rekindling
  present participle

1. to excite, stir up, or rouse anew.

   efforts to rekindle their romance;

   comments that rekindled her anger.

2. to cause to begin burning again; ignite again.

   Never use gasoline to rekindle a fire.

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verb (used without object)

• rekindles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• rekindled,
  past participle,  past
• rekindling
  present participle

1. to begin to burn again; ignite again.

   She is worried about a fire rekindling.

rekindle British  

/ riːˈkɪndəl /

verb

1. to arouse or cause to be aroused again

   rekindle the romance in your relationship

2. to set alight or start to burn again

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• rekindling
  present
• rekindled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rekindle
  simple
• rekindles
  simple
• have rekindled
  perfect
• has rekindled
  perfect
• am rekindling
  progressive
• are rekindling
  progressive
• is rekindling
  progressive
• have been rekindling
  perfect progressive
• has been rekindling
  perfect progressive

Past

• rekindled
  simple
• had rekindled
  perfect
• was rekindling
  progressive
• were rekindling
  progressive
• had been rekindling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rekindle
  simple
• will have rekindled
  perfect
• will be rekindling
  progressive
• will have been rekindling
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rekindle rekindles rekindled rekindling

Petco Park already is a year-round concert venue and event center, and the Padres could rekindle plans to develop a large parking lot near the ballpark.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Continued disruption of oil and gas flows threatens to push energy and shipping costs higher, rekindle inflation and weigh on global growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The latest commitments could rekindle Anthropic’s feud with the White House, a saga in which two of the company’s models were shut down over security concerns and the Pentagon labeled the company a national-security risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

If this series decider goes against them, it will rekindle scrutiny on those in managerial positions.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

Jonathan tried to rekindle his hatred, but all he could muster was the desire to stand close to them, to be taken care of.

From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi

Forward movement itself is the ingredient that rekindles energy and a sense of agency.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

Audi's entry this year rekindles that old rivalry with Mercedes, and battle lines have already been drawn in a pre-season row over the rules governing the engines' compression ratio.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026

“I encountered six to eight rekindles during my career and each time the local battalion chiefs showed up to try and convince the investigators it was arson.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2025

During the inaugural season at Memorial Stadium, Sounders players handed out carnations to fans after matches and the secondary logo rekindles that bond.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2023

She pours the rest of the water into our new pot while Kim rekindles the fire by adding dry leaves and branches.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman, who stormed out of his Netflix investment a few years ago, has rekindled that old flame.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

The personal struggle and public fight against Lineage has rekindled her Catholicism, the 52-year-old said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Near the French surfing hotspot of Le Grand Crohot, an AFP reporter saw violent gusts of wind whipping up flames as firefighting aircraft attempted to extinguish a rekindled fire.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

The clash has rekindled a debate many Arizona voters had hoped to move on from.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Talking about Shabbat rekindled her urgency to get the onions brought in from the field so Mama could take them to the Friday market.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

After dropping below 6% for the first time since 2022 just prior to the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28, mortgage rates climbed last month as oil prices soared, rekindling inflation worries.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026

The episode, far from rekindling a sibling bond, turned out to be a bookend in the two brothers’ relationship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026

But with so many difficulties to navigate, a full rekindling of the old relationship is unlikely - it is more realistically the start of a slow diplomatic thaw.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026

But the comeback isn’t so much about rekindling that past as it is about shoring up the present.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025

She burned the old grass, rekindling the dead fire with one of her precious matches.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• renew
• revitalize
• revive