combustion

noun

com·​bus·​tion kəm-ˈbəs-chən 

1

: an act or instance of burning

Smoke is produced during combustion.

2

: a usually rapid chemical process (such as oxidation) that produces heat and usually light

The carburetor mixes fuel with air for combustion.

also : a slower oxidation (as in the body)

3

: violent agitation : tumult

… periods of great social combustion alternating with quiescence …

—Kurt Andersen

combustive

kəm-ˈbə-stiv 

adjective

Examples of combustion in a Sentence

Combustion may occur at high temperatures.

This ratio of air to fuel results in better combustion.

Recent Examples on the Web

Building the nation's industrial sector away from fossil fuel combustion could potentially include zero-carbon fuels, such as hydrogen or ammonia, and low-carbon fuels, such as biofuels made from plant waste or algae, according to the agency. —Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2024

Employment hasn’t fallen off a cliff, and suppliers of combustion vehicle parts haven’t been forced into bankruptcy en masse. —Jack Ewing, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024

The company still posted net income of $4.3 billion due largely to big profits from its Pro commercial vehicle unit and Ford Blue, the internal combustion division. —Tom Krisher, Quartz, 15 Feb. 2024

The Princeton Fire Department determined there were lethal amounts of carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that’s a byproduct of combustion. —Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 12 Feb. 2024

Natural gas systems, which use methane as a fuel input and release carbon dioxide upon combustion, are increasingly recognized as a major obstacle to addressing climate change. —The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2024

Whether or not EVs have been selling for personal or fleet driver use, the dramatic upswing in sales since 2019 is now starting to result in another important development that means the beginning of the end for internal combustion – the growth in secondhand sales. —James Morris, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024

The car, which looks almost identical from the outside to its internal combustion counterpart, is eerily quiet even at highway speeds. —Jack Ewing, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024

The analysis shows how air pollution from the combustion of fossil fuels is combining with other factors, like wildfires influenced by climate change, to stress human health worldwide. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English combustioun "burning, calcination," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French combustion, borrowed from Late Latin combustiōn-, combustiō "burning up (of the dead or by the fires in hell)," from Latin combus-, variant stem of combūrere "to destroy with fire, reduce to ashes" + -tiōn-, tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at combust

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing combustion

• combustion chamber
• combustion engine
• external combustion engine
• internal combustion engine
• pre-combustion
• spontaneous combustion

Kids Definition

combustion

noun

com·​bus·​tion kəm-ˈbəs-chən 

1

: an act or instance of burning

2

: a chemical process in which substances combine with oxygen

Medical Definition

combustion

noun

com·​bus·​tion kəm-ˈbəs-chən 

: a usually very rapid chemical process (as oxidation) that produces heat and usually light

also : a slower oxidation (as in the body)