as in burning
being on fire
combusting oxygen tanks turned the fire on the evacuees' bus into a raging inferno
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in glowing
to be on fire especially brightly
anthracite, which is naturally hard, combusts more cleanly than bituminous coal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of combusting
Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Mar. 2026
Crews detected no visible signs of the fire, such as flames, smoke or perceptibly combusting material.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
Verb
The element of surprise has mostly worn off, even if Grace tells Faith that one never really gets used to people spontaneously combusting right in front of you.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Mar. 2026
Crews detected no visible signs of the fire, such as flames, smoke or perceptibly combusting material.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combusting
Adjective
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Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
13 Aug. 2025
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Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Get healthy, glowing skin with this all-in-one beauty wand.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
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This face serum brightens and evens skin tone, fights free radicals, supports collagen production, and softens the look of fine lines and wrinkles for glowing, healthy-looking skin.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Alex Tafoya was a much easier interview, even taking off his Ghost Rider flaming skull headpiece to talk.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
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Lili Reinhart’s coldly overbearing Apple (with lucious, flaming red hair) is their ringleader, Alexandra Shipp’s Fig is a science genius who lost her personality in a swirl of people pleasing, and Victoria Pedretti’s mentally fragile Cherry is Apple’s resident punching bag and fixer-upper project.—
Jada Yuan,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Its blazing brightness, expansive color range, and incredibly lifelike image quality push OLED performance to another level.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
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Sink and Jupe’s chemistry is palpable, and their first kiss is slow and sweet, with Sink’s face blushing a blazing red.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Casting two of the most smoldering contemporary actors on the planet clearly stacks the deck, and carries on the long tradition of pairing a dashing figure of brooding handsomeness (Laurence Olivier, Ralph Fiennes) with a breathless screen beauty (Merle Oberon, Juliette Binoche).—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Combusting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combusting. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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