combustion

noun

com·​bus·​tion kəm-ˈbəs-chən 

1

: an act or instance of burning

Smoke is produced during combustion.

2

: a usually rapid chemical process (such as oxidation) that produces heat and usually light

The carburetor mixes fuel with air for combustion.

also : a slower oxidation (as in the body)

3

: violent agitation : tumult

… periods of great social combustion alternating with quiescence …

—Kurt Andersen

combustive

kəm-ˈbə-stiv 

adjective

Examples of combustion in a Sentence

Combustion may occur at high temperatures.

This ratio of air to fuel results in better combustion.

Recent Examples on the Web

The science of acoustic fire suppression, which has long been known and documented in scientific literature and the press, works by vibrating oxygen molecules away from a fuel source, depriving the fire of a critical component needed for combustion. —Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026

The company, headquartered in Detroit, provides support for electric, hybrid, and internal combustion vehicles and has been a Tier 1 parts supplier to General Motors in the last decade. —Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 1 May 2026

Unlike a traditional combustion system, most of the gas mixture in this engine stays inside the system and is reused. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026

The company insists that the more efficient combustion could be a boon for taking more payload up higher or faster. —Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English combustioun "burning, calcination," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French combustion, borrowed from Late Latin combustiōn-, combustiō "burning up (of the dead or by the fires in hell)," from Latin combus-, variant stem of combūrere "to destroy with fire, reduce to ashes" + -tiōn-, tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at combust

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing combustion

• combustion chamber
• combustion engine
• external combustion engine
• internal combustion engine
• pre-combustion
• spontaneous combustion

Rhymes for combustion

• fustian

Kids Definition

combustion

noun

com·​bus·​tion kəm-ˈbəs-chən 

1

: an act or instance of burning

2

: a chemical process in which substances combine with oxygen

Medical Definition

combustion

noun

com·​bus·​tion kəm-ˈbəs-chən 

: a usually very rapid chemical process (as oxidation) that produces heat and usually light

also : a slower oxidation (as in the body)