reignite

verb

re·​ig·​nite (ˌ)rē-ig-ˈnīt 

reignited; reigniting

1

transitive + intransitive : to begin or cause (something) to begin to burn again

The strong winds reignited the embers.

The fire reignited.

2

transitive : to give new life or energy to (something)

The success of the movie reignited her career.

The economic crisis has reignited debate on the regulation of banks.

3

intransitive : to reoccur suddenly

The war never really ended. It … seemed to reignite every two years or so.

—Jeffrey Bartholet

reignition

(ˌ)rē-ig-ˈni-shən 

noun

plural reignitions

measures to prevent the reignition of the fire

Crews will continue to patrol the affected areas today to keep an eye out for reignitions.

—Ryan Pfeil

Examples of reignite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Such an event is called a nova—a rapid increase in the brightness of a white dwarf that reignites after years of slumber. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024

Elevated immigration, for example, is increasing the size of the labor force, preventing wages from surging in a way that could reignite inflation. —Will Daniel, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024

The Sheriff’s Department has five detectives assigned to cold cases who review files and look for ways to reignite investigations. —Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024

The near-failure earlier this month of New York Community Bancorp and its rescue through $1 billion in new investments led by former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin’s private equity firm, reignited concerns about regional banks that began after two firms collapsed in spring 2023. —Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024

Decades later, Lopez and Shakira reignited this history during their record-breaking 2020 Super Bowl Halftime performance, featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin, two big faces of the new Latin music boom dominated by reggaeton music. —Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2024

Rapid economic growth could reignite inflation pressures, undoing the progress that has been made. —Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024

Instead of hiding or banging drums, like in some other ancient Indigenous traditions, the Ojibwe shot these arrows with one eventually reaching high enough to reignite it. —Journal Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2024

After their publication, AARP Arizona reignited an effort to change state laws to better protect seniors at these facilities. —Wyatt Buchanan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1