as in burns
to set (something) on fire
tried using newspapers as kindling to ignite the logs in the fireplace
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of ignites
This time, his Bride (Buckley) not only comes alive, but also ignites a cultural revolution as the outlaw lovers embark on a cross-country crime spree.
—
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Under California law, most of those payments, as well as the lawsuit settlements, are expected to be covered by a state wildfire fund that lawmakers created to shield the three biggest for-profit utilities from bankruptcy if their equipment ignites a catastrophic fire.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Think again, as the California Zephyr, the longest route in America crosses through seven states, carving up Colorado’s canyons, then passing into Utah where the sun ignites mesas into flaming towers of rock.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Jan. 2026
When the water temperature in the water heater dips below the set level on the thermostat, the pilot light ignites the natural gas that is flowing through the gas regulator valve to light the burner.
—Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
Vivienne’s return ignites events in Season 3 and further upends Max’s already complicated relationship with Ellis.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
Mars meeting up with Pluto ignites the heart’s raw impulses.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Just beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito offers one of the most cinematic vantage points of San Francisco’s skyline—especially at sunset, when the city’s silhouette ignites in gold against the bay.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
But before a fire even starts, their goal is to remove invasive trees and brush, so when a blaze ignites and the infamous Santa Ana winds are blowing, embers don’t fly into tree canopies or dry vegetation and spread the fire more rapidly.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026
Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Under California law, most of those payments, as well as the lawsuit settlements, are expected to be covered by a state wildfire fund that lawmakers created to shield the three biggest for-profit utilities from bankruptcy if their equipment ignites a catastrophic fire.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Think again, as the California Zephyr, the longest route in America crosses through seven states, carving up Colorado’s canyons, then passing into Utah where the sun ignites mesas into flaming towers of rock.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Jan. 2026
When the water temperature in the water heater dips below the set level on the thermostat, the pilot light ignites the natural gas that is flowing through the gas regulator valve to light the burner.
—Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
Vivienne’s return ignites events in Season 3 and further upends Max’s already complicated relationship with Ellis.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
Mars meeting up with Pluto ignites the heart’s raw impulses.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Just beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito offers one of the most cinematic vantage points of San Francisco’s skyline—especially at sunset, when the city’s silhouette ignites in gold against the bay.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
But before a fire even starts, their goal is to remove invasive trees and brush, so when a blaze ignites and the infamous Santa Ana winds are blowing, embers don’t fly into tree canopies or dry vegetation and spread the fire more rapidly.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignites
Verb
-
Production is entirely dependent on electricity and the generator burns about 700 hryvnias ($16) worth of fuel per hour.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The sky has deepened to a clear blue, though the famously slow sunset still burns orange on the horizon.—
Rick Jordan,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As the world around them scorches under record heat, a family walks into the woods, asking what the future holds in this thermal dystopia.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
14 Jan. 2026
-
That’s the difference between fury that scorches everything in sight and anger that fuels justice.—
Marc Brackett,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This is the kind of journalism that makes people distrust anything the news media tell us, and potentially wrongly inflames the public.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Why vocabulary avoidance creates the space populists fill European governments spent a decade learning that sloppy language inflames prejudice.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While Martin Scorsese called it one of the scariest movies of all time, The Uninvited kindles a wonderful romance between Rick and Stella.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The star of Big Little Lies confessed her new film, Caught Stealing, kindles a powerful yearning for some aspects of the era.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That specific string cover of Taylor Swift’s anthem backs a different Cinderella-esque scene involving the pair, who miraculously reconnect in the countryside after Araminta (Katie Leung) fires Sophie from her position as housemaid in the Penwood home.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Test your news knowledge with this week's Fox News Digital News Quiz, in which former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick faces a major snub, and Virginia Commonwealth University fires an employee after ICE videos.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ignites.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignites. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
