as in to burn
to set (something) on fire
tried using newspapers as kindling to ignite the logs in the fireplace
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Recent Examples of ignite
The fires in Suffolk County, Long Island, ignited on Saturday amid northwest wind gusts of up to 45 mph and extremely dry vegetation.
—
Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Mar. 2025
The crash ignited a huge fire, which is still burning on one of the vessels in the North Sea, about 10 miles off the coast of Hull, a busy port and fishing center.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
The delay in evacuating western Altadena It’s been nearly two months since the L.A. firestorms ignited, and there are still so many unanswered questions about what went wrong.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025
Areas where it is applied are expected to be less likely to ignite for several months.
—Tyler Faurot, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ignite
Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Mar. 2025
The crash ignited a huge fire, which is still burning on one of the vessels in the North Sea, about 10 miles off the coast of Hull, a busy port and fishing center.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
The delay in evacuating western Altadena It’s been nearly two months since the L.A. firestorms ignited, and there are still so many unanswered questions about what went wrong.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025
Areas where it is applied are expected to be less likely to ignite for several months.
—Tyler Faurot, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ignite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignite
Verb
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The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2023
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.—
Neeti Mehra,
Treehugger,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
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Jana remembers those hours early on Jan. 8, her 49th birthday, when, from the Palisades to Eaton Canyon, tens of thousands of Angelenos were overrun by wind, flames and embers that scorched and raced like bullets.—
Jeffrey Fleishman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2025
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The landing site was significantly hotter: a scorching 355ºK (82°C or just under 180°F), at least 20ºK higher than predicted.—
Tom Hawking,
Popular Science,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That failure did not light a fire so much as keep the pilot light on.—
Troy Renck,
The Denver Post,
13 Mar. 2025
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The location reopened in May of last year: ATMs are walled in by vertical stripes of handmade blue subway tile and lit by bulbous, ’60s-style lights.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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If your skin is already red or inflamed from acne, salt water may cause more irritation.9 Risks and Considerations Using salt water on your skin can be irritating and may lead to redness and inflammation.—
Susan Bard,
Health,
18 Mar. 2025
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Fear of escalation and lending credence to Houthis’ claim to be at war with America — thereby inflaming regional tensions and potentially boosting Houthi recruitment — stayed Biden’s hand.—
The Editors,
National Review,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ignite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignite. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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