to ignite

Examples

• All

• Once the fuse hits the gas, it should ignite, rupturing the barrel and sending shrapnel everywhere.

  2-Headed Shark Attack (2012)

• Allow me to ignite your cigarette.

  Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

• So why do some of them ignite and others not?

  Sabine Hossenfelder

• With younger students, it is easier to ignite curiosity and encourage the spirit of inquiry.

  Academic text (2005)

• Economic or political instabilities within Pakistan could easily ignite the conflict once more.

  Academic text (2004)

• Following his lead, engines ignite, canopies lock down, and planes taxi to position.

  Fiction book (1996)

• Boosters ignited, we have lift-off.

  Nine Minutes (2020)

• And if a currency does fall, the rise in dollar-denominated debt can ignite corporate bankruptcies and recession.

  Academic text (1999)

• We'll ignite our flame pit and char mammal flesh.

  Coneheads (1993)

• I lit two candles for light and ignited the stove's burner to melt snow.

  Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

B

to burn

vsto ignite

∞ 1.0

To be on fire or damage something with heat

denotes the act of starting that state rather than the state itself

L

to light

vsto ignite

905 1.0

To make something start to burn or shine

is limited to starting burning not producing visible brightness broadly

F

to fire

vsto ignite

175 2.2

To light and keep burning a stove or furnace

is used for beginning burning in any context, not only appliances

S

to set on fire

vsto ignite

110 3.0

Make something start burning

uses a shorter single-word form rather than a full phrase

T

to torch

vsto ignite

76 6.5

To set fire to something on purpose

is the neutral verb for starting burning without implying intent to harm

C

to combust

vsto ignite

8 7.4

To catch fire or make something burn

focuses on initiating burning rather than the chemical process term

S

to set ablaze

vsto ignite

5 4.8

To make something start burning

is the general single-word term for starting combustion

K

to kindle

vsto ignite

4 3.7

To make wood, paper, or other material start to burn

is similar but more general for initiating combustion broadly

S

to set afire

vsto ignite

2 4.1

Make something start to burn

is a shorter single-word alternative for causing combustion

S

to set aflame

vsto ignite

1 5.1

To make something start burning

is the broader verb for beginning burning without extra imagery

S

to set alight

vsto ignite

• UK

1 4.2

To make something start burning

is the concise single-word expression for starting a fire

I

to inflame

vsto ignite

1 5.7

To make something start burning, for example paper or dry grass

is the plain literal action of starting combustion rather than figurative use

E

to enkindle

vsto ignite

• Archaic

9.1

To make something start to burn, like a fire or a strong feeling

is the plain, literal verb for causing ignition rather than figurative use

C

to conflagrate

vsto ignite

9.9

To set fire to something

is the neutral term for starting burning without implying scale

Antonyms

E

to extinguish

23 4.4

Stop a fire, candle, or other light from burning

Idioms

T

tinderbox waiting to ignite

• Literature

8.7

A tense unstable situation that could easily become violent

Phrasal Verbs

I

to ignite passion

1 5.0

Make someone feel very excited and interested in something

How Powerful

to incinerate

33 7.1

to burn

∞ 1.0

to ignite

66 4.0

to kindle

4 3.7

to spark

26 2.8

Surface Forms

Etymology