spontaneous combustion

noun

Definition of spontaneous combustion

: self-ignition of combustible material through chemical action (such as oxidation) of its constituents

— called also spontaneous ignition

Examples of spontaneous combustion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When the two chemicals came into contact with one another, there was a spontaneous combustion reaction that would propel the ascent module off of the descent module and into lunar orbit. — Alex Hollings, Popular Mechanics, "The Art of the Return Trip: How NASA Got Apollo 11 Home," 24 July 2019 In February, the 3,865-square-foot home was damaged by a freak fire, caused by spontaneous combustion of a pile of dead grass, in which luckily nobody was hurt, Mary Wise of Keller Williams Central tells CountryLiving.com. — Jenae Sitzes, Country Living, "The Surprising Reason a Fire-Damaged House Was the Most Popular Home in Texas Real Estate," 28 Apr. 2017 Much of the IndyDrum plant was heavily damaged in a May 2014 fire caused by spontaneous combustion of chemicals that had been mixed with sawdust used to clean drums. — Rick Barrett, USA TODAY, "Drum refurbishing plant, where worker safety problems were cited, closes suddenly," 20 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spontaneous combustion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.