to spark
26
2.8
- verb
- /spɑrk/
:
chispear
- We want to turn on the engine and then it sizzles and sparks a little bit.
But we can't tell you why this part sparked.
- But we can't tell you why this part sparked.
- Oh, that's right, Take him around and show him a sparking machine.
- You've got a BLOB of electricity in the ocean that sparks you out.
Examples
-
That cable that started sparking.
-
And so they just snap and then they spark a fire and then it's three months of hell.
-
Tiny points of fire, hundreds of them, sparked in the darkness.
Fiction book (1992) -
After several tries, the lighter flint sparked, and the flame hissed into life.
Fiction book (1999) -
From time to time, lozenges of sunlight fell upon the polished table, sparking from silver and cut-glass tumblers.
Fiction book (1990) -
When the wires touched, they spark and emitted a bright light.
-
The faulty wiring caused the old appliance to spark dangerously.
-
As the campfire dwindled, the logs began to spark and crackle.
Synonyms
26
1.0
To shine with small bright flashes of light
Antonyms
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
1
5.3
To start a sudden large change in a country's government or how people live
Compounds
- Specialized
16
3.5
A small part in a car engine that makes a tiny electric flash to light the fuel and air
- Specialized
1
7.8
A device with a gap between metal parts where an electrical spark can jump
- Specialized
The timing of the spark that lights the fuel and air in an engine, measured by the piston's position
- Specialized
A metal mesh fitted on a chimney that stops sparks escaping and reduces fire risk
- Specialized
A device that makes tiny sparks when particles from radiation pass through it
How Intense
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word spark comes from an old English word for a tiny flash of fire or light, the same idea you see in sparkle, and it meant a 'small light'. So to spark something by making fire or electricity is to send out those little flashes of fire or electricity.