spark plug

noun

1

: a part that fits into the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine and carries two electrodes separated by an air gap across which the current from the ignition system discharges to form the spark for combustion

2

: one that initiates or gives impetus to an undertaking

sparkplug

ˈspärk-ˌpləg 

transitive verb

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

On a night that was technically a Clippers home game, cheers grew after former Clippers spark plug Beverley, who didn’t give an inch while defending George in the second quarter, yelling at his former teammate after George passed the ball. Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2022

Marcy Kaptur, whose mother was a union organizer at a spark plug plant, will likely hold her Toledo-area House seat after her MAGA opponent lied about his military record. Alec Macgillis, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2022

Williams took it upon himself to be the spark plug, jolting the group to life and calling on his teammates to get their act together. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2022

That odd sonic signature is almost diesel-like and seemingly a product of the six cylinders' dual combustion chambers, each with its own spark plug. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 25 Oct. 2022

This can potentially damage the spark plug and generally does not allow the generator to run smoothly. Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2022

Danta then lost a spark plug wire and had to pull off. Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022

Don’t sleep on this team that found talent at running back in 5-foot-8 spark plug Calvin Tyler and at wide receiver in jitterbug, 5-foot-7 Robert Briggs. Joseph Goodman | [e-mail], al, 1 Sep. 2022

Steinberg holds up a small plastic wing attached to a metal piece shaped like a spark plug. Dominic Smith, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

spark plug

noun

1

: a device used in an engine to produce a spark that ignites a fuel mixture

2

: one that begins something or drives something forward