ignite

verb

ig·​nite ig-ˈnīt 

ignited; igniting

transitive verb

1

a

: to set afire

also : kindle

b

: to cause (a fuel) to burn

2

: to subject to fire or intense heat

especially : to render luminous by heat

3

a

: to heat up : excite

oppression that ignited the hatred of the people

b

: to set in motion : spark

ignite a debate

intransitive verb

1

: to catch fire

2

: to begin to glow

ignitability

ig-ˌnī-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

ignitable adjective

or less commonly ignitible

ig-ˈnī-tə-bəl 

igniter noun

or less commonly ignitor

ig-ˈnī-tər 

Synonyms of ignite

• burn
• scorch
• light
• inflame
• fire

Examples of ignite in a Sentence

The fire was ignited by sparks.

The paper ignited on contact with sparks.

a material that ignites easily

Three wins in a row ignited the team.

His proposal is igniting opposition.

Recent Examples on the Web

At Big Tech companies, the offers are even more eye-watering as firms pour billions into AI, igniting a nonstop tug-of-war for talent among companies like OpenAI, Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Anthropic. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026

The news arrives days after posters began popping up in Paris, igniting rumors of her return. —Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 30 Mar. 2026

After the engines start up and the booster ignites, umbilical separation, or the disconnecting of power cables and fuel lines, will take place — the last step before the rocket launches. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026

Debris from the engine fell near the runway and ignited a small brush fire on the ground. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin ignitus, past participle of ignire to ignite, from ignis

First Known Use

1666, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Phrases Containing ignite

• self-ignite

Rhymes for ignite

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

ignite

verb

ig·​nite ig-ˈnīt 

ignited; igniting

1

a

: to set on fire : light

b

: to cause (a fuel mixture) to burn

2

: to catch fire

3

: to set in motion : spark

ignite a debate

ignitable

-ˈnīt-ə-bəl

adjective

igniter noun

also ignitor

-ˈnīt-ər