sparking plug

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noun British.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of sparking plug

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby sparking plug

sparker, spark erosion, spark gap, spark generator, sparkie, sparking plug, sparking voltage, spark-killer, sparkle, sparkler, sparklet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sparking plug in a sentence

I made sure that the oil was circulating, and cleaned the sparking-plug, but the trouble was not remedied.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
There was a series of explosions as though the sparking plug of a motor-bicycle was playing tricks.
Leaves from a Field Note-Book|J. H. Morgan
"Not at all," I replied, thinking he wanted to ask the way or borrow a sparking plug—or maybe beg a match.
Across America by Motor-cycle|C. K. Shepherd
I changed the sparking plug, hoping for better results, but in vain.
Across America by Motor-cycle|C. K. Shepherd

He called on Lowther to get down, and together the two men began to examine a sparking plug with wholly fictitious energy.
The Crime Club|William Holt-White

British Dictionary definitions for sparking plug

sparking plug

noun

a device screwed into the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine to ignite the explosive mixture by means of an electric spark which jumps across a gap between a point earthed to the body of the plug and the tip of a central insulated rodAlso called: spark plug

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