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

The sight of a disabled octogenarian being removed from her home on a stretcher has reignited public anger about Spain’s housing crisis. — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 30 Sep. 2026

Raskin’s inquiry could reignite a fraught political issue for Apple that began under previous CEO Tim Cook, at a time when new CEO John Ternus is attempting to focus the company’s efforts on AI and hardware innovation. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

Abiy’s push for sovereign access to the Eritrean seaport of Assab has reignited tensions with Eritrea, which shares a border with Tigray. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

The shorter-than-expected extension of the truce is also unlikely to reignite tensions, the consultancy firm said. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for reignite

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