spark

1
[ spahrk ]
/ spɑrk /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR spark ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

to kindle, animate, or stimulate (interest, activity, spirit, etc.): These bright students have sparked her enthusiasm for teaching. The arrival of the piano player really sparked the party.

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Origin of spark

1
before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English spearca; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German sparke; (v.) Middle English sparken; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German sparken

OTHER WORDS FROM spark

sparkless, adjectivespark·less·ly, adverbsparklike, adjective

Words nearby spark

sparge, sparid, Sparine, sparing, sparing action, spark, spark arrester, spark chamber, spark coil, sparker, spark erosion

Definition for spark (2 of 3)

spark2
[ spahrk ]
/ spɑrk /
Informal: Older Use.

noun

an elegant or foppish young man.
a beau, lover, or suitor.
a woman of outstanding beauty, charm, or wit.

verb (used with object)

to woo; court.

verb (used without object)

to engage in courtship; woo.

Origin of spark

2
1565–75; figurative use of spark1, or <Old Norse sparkr quick, lively

OTHER WORDS FROM spark

sparkish, adjectivespark·ish·ly, adverbspark·ish·ness, nounsparklike, adjective

Definition for spark (3 of 3)

Spark
[ spahrk ]
/ spɑrk /

noun

Muriel (Sarah) (Camberg), 1918–2006, British novelist and writer, born in Scotland.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to spark

hint, gleam, flicker, sparkle, flare, glint, glitter, glow, trigger, kindle, precipitate, provoke, stir, stimulate, set off, vestige, jot, spit, fire, scrap

Example sentences from the Web for spark

British Dictionary definitions for spark (1 of 3)

spark1
/ (spɑːk) /

noun

verb

See also spark off, sparks

Word Origin for spark

Old English spearca; related to Middle Low German sparke, Middle Dutch spranke, Lettish spirgsti cinders, Latin spargere to strew

British Dictionary definitions for spark (2 of 3)

spark2
/ (spɑːk) /

noun rare

a fashionable or gallant young man
bright spark British usually ironic a person who appears clever or wittysome bright spark left the papers next to the open window

verb

rare to woo (a person)

Derived forms of spark

sparkish, adjective

Word Origin for spark

C16 (in the sense: beautiful or witty woman): perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse sparkr vivacious

British Dictionary definitions for spark (3 of 3)

Spark
/ (spɑːk) /

noun

Dame Muriel (Sarah). 1918–2006, British novelist and writer; her novels include Memento Mori (1959), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), The Takeover (1976), A Far Cry from Kensington (1988), Symposium (1990), and The Finishing School (2004)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with spark

spark

see make the sparks fly.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.