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

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about spontaneous combustion

Dictionary Entries near spontaneous combustion

spontaneous amputation

spontaneous combustion

spontaneous generation

spontaneous magnetization

spontaneous recovery

Statistics for spontaneous combustion

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for spontaneous combustion

The first known use of spontaneous combustion was in 1795

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for spontaneous combustion

spontaneous combustion

noun

English Language Learners Definition of spontaneous combustion

: burning that is caused by chemical actions inside of something rather than by heat from the outside

See the full definition for spontaneous combustion in the English Language Learners Dictionary

spontaneous combustion

noun

Kids Definition of spontaneous combustion

: a bursting of material into flame from the heat produced within itself through chemical action

Comments on spontaneous combustion

What made you want to look up spontaneous combustion? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

glade

an open space surrounded by woods

Test Your Vocabulary

Name that Food Quiz

Name these cookies!

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games