as in explosive
capable of catching or being set on fire
don't store oily rags and other combustible materials in a hot attic
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Recent Examples of combustible
As in prior moral panics, the technology proved to be an easy and tangible scapegoat, which enabled Americans to avoid grappling with the complex social factors—like deindustrialization, urban decay, and disillusioned suburban children—that led to a combustible situation ripe for tragedy.
—
Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Rinderknecht — who once lived in the Pacific Palisades area — likely used a lighter that set fire to combustible material such as vegetation or paper, authorities alleged in the complaint.
—Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Keep neighboring tree branches at least 10 feet from the home, and store firewood and other combustible materials as far away as possible.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
But Gil and the Kills were a combustible bunch, and life on the road with a hard-driving band, while exhilarating, was ultimately no place for a little girl.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combustible
Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Rinderknecht — who once lived in the Pacific Palisades area — likely used a lighter that set fire to combustible material such as vegetation or paper, authorities alleged in the complaint.
—Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Keep neighboring tree branches at least 10 feet from the home, and store firewood and other combustible materials as far away as possible.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
But Gil and the Kills were a combustible bunch, and life on the road with a hard-driving band, while exhilarating, was ultimately no place for a little girl.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combustible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combustible
Adjective
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Those detonations had the explosive equivalent of one Hiroshima-sized atomic bomb every day for 20 years, according to a 2025 report from the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER).—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
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Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot, is projecting explosive growth—forecasting as much as $70 billion in revenue by 2028, up from about $5 billion this year, according to The Information.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Hazardous Materials Items such as flammable liquids, chemicals, or combustible materials should never find their place in the bedroom closet.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Store batteries away from anything flammable.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And all this against an inflammable backdrop of geopolitical crises including but not limited to the Israel-Hamas war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.—
John Leicester,
Quartz,
15 Apr. 2024
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Heat also stresses old electrical systems — insulation breaks down; lubricants in relays dry out — and a not-insignificant amount of the subway’s electrical wiring dates to the 1920s and 1930s, some of it cloth-covered, inflammable, and pervious to water.—
Curbed,
Curbed,
28 July 2023
Adjective
-
Search for answers continues following UPS plane crash As the community in Louisville, Kentucky, mourns those killed in a fiery United Parcel Service cargo plane crash, authorities warned that answers for family members may still be a way off.—
Jane Onyanga-Omara,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it, confronting family, identity, and a relationship that becomes life-or-death.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combustible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combustible. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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