as in to burn
to set (something) on fire
tried using newspapers as kindling to ignite the logs in the fireplace
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Recent Examples of ignite
And after he’d been held largely underwater in Game 4, the Nuggets’ flamethrower ignited in the second quarter with Jokic on the bench.
—
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 29 Apr. 2025
Edison has been under scrutiny since Jan. 7, when videos captured the devastating Eaton wildfire igniting under one of its transmission towers.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Edwards scored the first 11 points of the quarter for Minnesota, hitting three 3s, each with a hand in his face, and a driving floater to ignite a raucous Target Center crowd.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Rubio’s firing of Marocco ignites a MAGA world meltdown
🚔️ IN FLORIDA
This is horrible:
A gunman opened fire at Florida State University in Tallahassee on Thursday, leaving at least two people dead and several others injured.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ignite
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 29 Apr. 2025
Edison has been under scrutiny since Jan. 7, when videos captured the devastating Eaton wildfire igniting under one of its transmission towers.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Edwards scored the first 11 points of the quarter for Minnesota, hitting three 3s, each with a hand in his face, and a driving floater to ignite a raucous Target Center crowd.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Rubio’s firing of Marocco ignites a MAGA world meltdown
🚔️ IN FLORIDA
This is horrible:
A gunman opened fire at Florida State University in Tallahassee on Thursday, leaving at least two people dead and several others injured.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ignite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignite
Verb
-
The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2023
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.—
Neeti Mehra,
Treehugger,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
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Comic Cole Garrett was first up, his manic style scorching the walls.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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The park’s Furnace Creek area is particularly scorching.—
Brooke Baitinger,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The poor performance led one Lakers legend to try and light a fire underneath his former squad.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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Bring to light what’s at conflicting purposes while the sun clashes with Mars.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Iran seeks a deal to steady a troubled economy Iran’s internal politics are still inflamed over the mandatory hijab, or headscarf, with women still ignoring the law on the streets of Tehran.—
Matthew Lee and Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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Both were enraged by federal actions during a 1992 standoff in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and the 1993 siege of a religious sect’s compound in Waco, Texas, both of which had turned deadly and inflamed far-right fears about federal intrusion on freedoms around guns and religion.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ignite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignite. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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