as in to burn
to be on fire especially brightly
anthracite, which is naturally hard, combusts more cleanly than bituminous coal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of combust
Make sure there are no overhanging limbs that could combust, cut back and remove nearby grasses, brambles, and underbrush, and have a fire extinguisher ready to deal with any embers that float away.
—
Steven John, Architectural Digest, 13 Feb. 2026
When a mosquito comes and bites him, the bug immediately tastes the spice in his blood and flies away only to combust moments later.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 8 Feb. 2026
Similar to the show, the comic features a pair of detectives trying to connect the dots behind a strain of explosive deaths, and everyone who’s spontaneously combusted has The Beauty.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
Put the two together, and, well, the whole great experiment that is the internet might just combust.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for combust
Steven John, Architectural Digest, 13 Feb. 2026
When a mosquito comes and bites him, the bug immediately tastes the spice in his blood and flies away only to combust moments later.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 8 Feb. 2026
Similar to the show, the comic features a pair of detectives trying to connect the dots behind a strain of explosive deaths, and everyone who’s spontaneously combusted has The Beauty.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
Put the two together, and, well, the whole great experiment that is the internet might just combust.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for combust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combust
Verb
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The analysis, released Friday by the California Department of Insurance and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, found that meeting wildfire safety standards for roughly 30,000 homes within the Eaton and Pacific Palisades burn areas would significantly cut average annual losses.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Around 2,000 acres at Camp Ripley in north-central Minnesota have burned due to a wildfire that broke out in the area on Sunday, officials with the military training center said.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hundreds of monarch butterflies are painted across the translucent panels, and when sunlight shines through, the structure glows in rich amber tones.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
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Steinfeld glowed in a gorgeous peachy-pink Prada gown covered in silver studs.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There’s an incredible sequence where Zazie Beetz’s character fights cultists with a flaming axe.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
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There, Kurds gather to light flaming torches at sunset, carrying them up the mountainside to symbolize light defeating darkness.—
March 25,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Combust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combust. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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