Synonyms of spark

spark 1 of 2

verb

1

as in to sparkle

to give off sparks

the broken radio sparked and smoked the instant it was plugged in

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sparkle
• glow
• flash
• shine
• burn
• scintillate
• flame
• twinkle
• blaze
• light (up)
• radiate
• flare (up)
• combust

2

as in to trigger

to cause to function

interesting questions that are designed to spark the reader's brain

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trigger
• activate
• drive
• power
• generate
• ignite
• fuel
• move
• start
• provoke
• set off
• fire
• turn on
• actuate
• charge
• crank (up)
• run
• push
• touch off
• stimulate
• electrify
• energize
• launch
• switch
• arouse
• excite
• turn over
• release
• incite
• reactivate
• trip
• discharge
• accelerate
• catalyze
• recharge
• kick over
• instigate
• stir up
• jump-start
• quicken
• kick-start
• speed (up)
• vitalize
• step up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cut
• kill
• cut out
• shut off
• stop
• turn off
• check
• cut off
• brake
• halt
• stick
• arrest
• draw up
• suppress
• deactivate
• slow
• stall
• repress
• jam
• stunt
• decelerate

3

as in to provoke

to rouse to strong feeling or action

President Kennedy's inspirational speeches sparked a generation of young idealists to enter the public arena

Synonyms & Similar Words

• provoke
• encourage
• stimulate
• inspire
• stir
• arouse
• excite
• incite
• motivate
• move
• motive
• instigate
• fire (up)
• ignite
• rev (up)
• pique
• trigger
• induce
• drive
• impassion
• galvanize
• kindle
• anger
• energize
• activate
• inflame
• build a fire under
• set off
• animate
• foment
• fan
• quicken
• vitalize
• bother
• key (up)
• pump up
• ferment
• enrage
• whip (up)
• upset
• raise
• get
• tease
• abet
• annoy
• taunt
• aggravate
• irritate
• exasperate
• jeer
• vex
• madden
• gall

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• calm
• soothe
• subdue
• appease
• placate
• tranquilize
• pacify
• mollify

spark

2 of 2

noun

ˈspärk 

as in glimmer

a very small amount

not a spark of interest in the actress's memoirs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• glimmer
• splash
• shred
• hint
• sprinkling
• speck
• touch
• little
• bit
• lick
• trace
• particle
• tad
• ray
• streak
• dab
• scintilla
• suspicion
• handful
• smack
• smidgen
• spatter
• pinch
• smell
• ounce
• sliver
• dash
• strain
• crumb
• dram
• spot
• minimum
• fleck
• shade
• nip
• drop
• ace
• bite
• mite
• shadow
• scruple
• peanuts
• soupçon
• snap
• portion
• dose
• drop in the bucket
• modicum
• skosh
• taste
• part
• driblet
• semblance
• grain
• molecule
• whit
• mote
• jot
• atom
• fragment
• vestige
• iota
• syllable
• scrap
• section
• dot
• nibble
• patch
• smattering
• scattering
• tittle
• minim
• granule
• morsel
• hoot
• splinter
• shiver
• shard
• chip
• flake
• nubbin
• flyspeck
• tatter
• clipping
• smatter
• paring
• shaving
• shot
• smithereens

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• plenty
• mass
• abundance
• lot
• wealth
• loads
• deal
• quantity
• mess
• bundle
• pile
• stack
• bucket
• barrel
• mountain
• profusion
• heaps
• bushel
• raft
• volume
• peck
• wad
• fistful
• reams
• surplus
• excess
• embarrassment
• lashings
• overflow
• boatload
• oodles
• gobs
• much
• scads
• potful
• bonanza
• passel
• overabundance
• superabundance
• surfeit
• superfluity
• chunk
• oversupply
• slab
• lump
• overage
• overkill
• hunk
• overmuch

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of spark

Verb

The sleeper race has sparked national interest and turned Kansas into an unlikely battleground for control of the Senate in this year’s midterms. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026

Their achievements also had an impact farther north, sparking the Icelandic women’s strike on October 24, 1975. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2026

Noun

During the first quarter, Johnson provided the initial spark for Arkansas (3-4, 1-3) with a 25-yard pick-6. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

But as the movie awkwardly pivots to weighty themes like forgiveness, honor and grief, the initial sparks of subversiveness fizzle out. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026