enkindle

verb

in-ˈkin-dᵊl How to pronounce enkindle (audio)
Definition of enkindlenext
as in to burn
to set (something) on fire see if you can enkindle some paper in the fireplace while I look for logs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for enkindle
  1. burn
  2. ignite
  3. kindle
  4. scorch
  5. inflame
  6. illumine
  7. light
  8. fire
Verb
  • Washoe County Sheriff's Office Now combined, the Fred Mountain Fire and the Bug Fire have burned more than 57,000 acres with no containment as of Tuesday night, according to fire officials.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • On the image-generation front, Google is burning tokens like never before.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of burn
Verb
  • The attack ignited a massive blaze at gasoline-storage tank that burned through the night into Tuesday morning, according to the Civil Defense, a first responders’ agency.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The Hightowers ignite the trenches, effectively trapping the greybeards between a wall of stone and a wall of fire.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of ignite
Verb
  • These innocuous-seeming actions can kindle dry vegetation, potentially spawning a wildfire.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
  • Photography arrived, kindling an enthusiasm that Baudelaire, ever the cynic, compared to a lust for pornography.
    — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of kindle
Verb
  • Pyroclastic flows – fast-moving clouds of scorching gas, ash, and rock – could devastate territory near the caldera.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The fire began Sunday morning in the Los Padres National Forest southeast of the neighborhood of Loma Vista and quickly scorched 400 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of scorch
Verb
  • Philly neighborhoods with a higher percentage of green areas, by contrast, have lower levels of diesel particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and other toxic air pollutants, which inflame and irritate the respiratory system.
    — Mahbubur Meenar, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Analysts are watching how the broader electorate will react to candidates chosen by Republican primary voters, and how intensely the contests could inflame ongoing tensions in the state over the 2020 election.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of inflame
Verb
  • Fantastic, illumined by periodic excursions into surrealism, as when the crew of a mysterious UFO boards a transpacific Kahuna Airlines jet midflight.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Geraldine walked over to Felix and Jane’s for fish soup, through long autumn shadows in the park, haze rising like smoke from the grass, illumined by the low sun.
    — Tessa Hadley, New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2026
Definition of illumine
Verb
  • The façade was lighted from below by the exterior lights that specified the building, separated it from the other night buildings.
    — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Partnership feels friendly as nurturing Moon lights your 7th House of Partnership, trining harmonious Venus in your 11th House of Friends and Community.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of light
Verb
  • The team flew over around 1,700 square miles, firing rapid laser pulses at the ground.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Witnesses told police that guests at the wedding reception began fighting with one another and that at least two handguns were drawn before shots were fired.
    — Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of fire
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

enjoys
enkindle
enkindled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Enkindle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enkindle. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All