as in fuel
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as in burning
to set (something) on fire
worried that lightning will kindle the forest in the drought-stricken nature preserve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kindling
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The lid also helps to prevent spills or curious pets from snacking on the extra kindling.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2025
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
The drought and near-record temperatures dried out the lush scrub, turning it to kindling.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kindling
Noun
Yet skepticism about the lofty valuations and massive spending plans of major AI players had been building like a pile of dry kindling.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The lid also helps to prevent spills or curious pets from snacking on the extra kindling.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
Letter, which is not a romantic fantasy but is rather a straight-up romance, is one of her earlier books and was re-released this year, hitting best-seller status and re-kindling Hollywood interest.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
The drought and near-record temperatures dried out the lush scrub, turning it to kindling.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for kindling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kindling
Noun
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Then, about four to five billion years later, our Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel in its core, evolving into a red giant.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Feb. 2026
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Transit agencies and freight carriers want lighter rolling stock to cut fuel use.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Coal ash is the residue left over from burning coal, typically produced at power plants.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
17 Feb. 2026
-
People mostly hibernate in their wood-and-tin houses, burning firewood to brave the freezing cold.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Iran has also swiftly rebuilt its largest and newest solid-propellant missile production facility in Shahrud, a technology that allows for the rapid deployment of longer-range missiles.—
Farida Elsebai,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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While teams were able to mitigate the leak and get all 700,000 gallons of propellant into the rocket, the leak rate jumped up over safe thresholds during NASA’s attempt to run through the final 10 minutes of the countdown.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His father shone a spotlight on lunar exploration for Petro, igniting his desire to help solve the moon’s biggest mysteries.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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In the southern part of the state, thunderstorms were wreaking havoc this week, with lightning igniting a grove of palm trees in San Pasqual Valley, scorching more than 100 on Tuesday.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Food and drink Onsite restaurant L’Escale is just as much a Greenwich institution as the hotel itself—a proper entity conveniently attached at the hip to your lodging for power lunchers in daylight, special-occasion diners in the evening, and a rotating cast of Hopper subjects always at the bar.—
Charlie Hobbs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Feb. 2026
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Republicans often couched their fury at speech restrictions — around right-wing cultural politics and COVID-19, in particular — as part of a broader critique of corporate power.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Edwards, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves and was named the game’s most valuable player, gave all the credit to Wembanyama for lighting the competitive juices of his fellow All-Stars.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
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People were lighting their stoves, there would be a hot meal tonight.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The observations provide the most detailed picture yet of where the planet’s auroras form and how energy moves through its atmosphere.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
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It's even found in the quiet, calming oases that is this city's epic hotel scene, a wonderful contrast to the heaving and exhilarating urban energy beyond its grand doors.—
Chris Schalkx,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Plath, the deserted wife of fellow poet Ted Hughes, mother of two young children, died by suicide at age 30, leaving behind a collection of poems that anatomized her mental descent in scorching language that secured a permanent place in American letters.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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The hard X-ray peak came first, intense and quickly, followed by a longer, scorching soft X-ray and optical glow.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kindling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kindling. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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