as in burning
being on fire
combusting oxygen tanks turned the fire on the evacuees' bus into a raging inferno
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in glowing
to be on fire especially brightly
anthracite, which is naturally hard, combusts more cleanly than bituminous coal
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of combusting
Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
Verb
Crews detected no visible signs of the fire, such as flames, smoke or perceptibly combusting material.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combusting
Adjective
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Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
13 Aug. 2025
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Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
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From late March to mid-April, hillsides, parks, and city streets across the country overflow with the glowing pastel pink of sakuras.—
Kristin Braswell,
AFAR Media,
7 Oct. 2025
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Swift said that the album, which has received several glowing reviews as well as numerous ambivalent critiques, has been embraced by the Swiftie fandom.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Competition, passive-aggressive zingers and hard feelings turn their relationship into a flaming hot mess.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
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Firemen spoke of seeing tenants sitting outside flaming buildings with their belongings neatly arranged beside them.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Black holes, billions of times more massive than the Sun, power blazing engines called active galactic nuclei.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
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While the 49ers maintain that Saleh’s comments were meant to be purely complimentary, Coen and the Jaguars didn’t perceive it as such, which is why Coen came in guns blazing after Sunday’s win.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combusting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combusting. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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