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 fan that sucks in combustion air and blows out exhaust gases stopped spinning. —Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026

Produced by Zumo, Fosforito Films, El Médano and Aída Herrerías, the supernatural horror film set on a Caribbean island, follows a successful priest who returns home after his adoptive brother dies from spontaneous human combustion. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 15 May 2026

As Forbes contributor María Mendiluce has argued, the electric era has already begun, with electrification becoming the practical route away from combustion. —Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

The new balance between internal combustion and electrical energy means more fuel will be burned than electrical energy deployed, with the split anticipated to be closer to 60/40 rather than the current 50/50. —Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 12 May 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)