as in to burn
to be on fire especially brightly
anthracite, which is naturally hard, combusts more cleanly than bituminous coal
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Recent Examples of combust
During winter, wet road salt can seep into manholes, corroding electrical cables’ insulation, causing sparks and gas that can then combust under pressure.
—
Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Make sure there are no overhanging limbs that could combust, cut back and remove nearby grasses, brambles, and underbrush, and have a fire extinguisher ready to deal with any embers that float away.
—Steven John, Architectural Digest, 13 Feb. 2026
When a mosquito comes and bites him, the bug immediately tastes the spice in his blood and flies away only to combust moments later.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 8 Feb. 2026
Similar to the show, the comic features a pair of detectives trying to connect the dots behind a strain of explosive deaths, and everyone who’s spontaneously combusted has The Beauty.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for combust
Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Make sure there are no overhanging limbs that could combust, cut back and remove nearby grasses, brambles, and underbrush, and have a fire extinguisher ready to deal with any embers that float away.
—Steven John, Architectural Digest, 13 Feb. 2026
When a mosquito comes and bites him, the bug immediately tastes the spice in his blood and flies away only to combust moments later.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 8 Feb. 2026
Similar to the show, the comic features a pair of detectives trying to connect the dots behind a strain of explosive deaths, and everyone who’s spontaneously combusted has The Beauty.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for combust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combust
Verb
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In the capital, the attacks damaged several residential and commercial buildings, sparking fires and burning cars, authorities said.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
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Family Akelarre is an adults-forward hotel, designed more for couples and contemplative travelers than for toddlers with energy to burn.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Verb
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At Palisades State Park, striking red-pink Sioux quartzite cliffs jut up to 50 feet above Split Rock Creek, their jagged faces almost glowing against a backdrop of bucolic farmland.—
Taryn Shorr-Mckee,
Midwest Living,
4 June 2026
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Although the building is gray and the galleries dark, the contents glow.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
4 June 2026
Verb
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In 1971, the Jewish residents of Forest Hills violently protested the development of a public-housing project in their neighborhood with rocks and flaming torches.—
Kevin Lozano,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
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On the other side of the card Eva had drawn it in a tracksuit and lime-green running shoes holding a flaming torch in the 2024 Paris Olympics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Combust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combust. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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