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spark
1[ spahrk ]
/ spɑrk /
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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.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of spark
1First recorded before 900; Middle English noun spark(e), sparc(k), Old English spearca, spærca, sperca; cognate with Middle Dutch sparcke, spercke, Middle Low German sparke; the verb is derivative of the noun
OTHER WORDS FROM spark
sparkless, adjectivespark·less·ly, adverbsparklike, adjectiveWords nearby spark
sparge, sparid, Sparine, sparing, sparingly, spark, spark arrester, spark chamber, spark coil, sparker, spark erosion
Other definitions for spark (2 of 3)
spark2
[ spahrk ]
/ spɑrk /
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
2First recorded in 1575–85; figurative use of spark1, or from Old Norse sparkr “quick, lively, brisk”
OTHER WORDS FROM spark
sparkish, adjectivespark·ish·ly, adverbspark·ish·ness, nounsparklike, adjectiveOther definitions 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. 2023
How to use spark in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for spark (1 of 3)
spark1
/ (spɑːk) /
noun
verb
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, adjectiveWord 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
Other 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.