1
as in to sparkle
to give off sparks
the broken radio sparked and smoked the instant it was plugged in
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2
as in to trigger
to cause to function
interesting questions that are designed to spark the reader's brain
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in glimmer
a very small amount
not a spark of interest in the actress's memoirs
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spark
Conor Harrison, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
Davis, who finished with 13 points and three 3-pointers, nailed the shot to spark a 10-0 Illinois run, and Ivišić went viral on social media for the unorthodox spike pass.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Rookie watch Second-round pick Noah Penda provided a small spark with a pair of first-half dunks — the first off a steal late in the opening frame and the second in transition off an assist from Bane early in the second quarter.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spark
Verb
The race to build new data centers and find the electricity to power them has sparked enormous public backlash about how data centers will inflate household energy costs.
—Conor Harrison, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
Davis, who finished with 13 points and three 3-pointers, nailed the shot to spark a 10-0 Illinois run, and Ivišić went viral on social media for the unorthodox spike pass.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
Carlson pressed, perhaps hoping to kindle a spark of recognition.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Rookie watch Second-round pick Noah Penda provided a small spark with a pair of first-half dunks — the first off a steal late in the opening frame and the second in transition off an assist from Bane early in the second quarter.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spark
Verb
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The shoes accompanied a fall 2025 Schiaparelli look including pants and a long jacket with a striking animal print-adjacent pattern of sparkling silver against a black backdrop.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
26 Jan. 2026
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You’ll be left with surfaces that sparkle from the inside out.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The landslide was triggered by heavy rains, but ex-miners blame unsafe conditions.—
Justin Kabumba,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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If the infection is not contained by the body’s immune response, the bacteria destroys lung tissue which can trigger chest pain and coughing up of mucus or blood.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His allies would say the victim had provoked their own death and blame Democrats for inciting the violence.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
25 Jan. 2026
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In the main event of SmackDown, Trick Williams defeated Damian Priest by DQ after provoking Sami Zayn.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For Palestinians on the ground, the crossing reopening would be a small glimmer of light.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
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Players slip on shoulder pads, helmets and cleats and go through a series of drills and game-like situations to recapture a glimmer of their football past.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Coughlan glowed in Penelope's wedding dress and shared a look with her husband-to-be, Colin.—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
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Using these newer observations, the team was finally able connect the glowing ring of material around M87* to the base of the jet erupting from this supermassive black hole, giving a probable origin point for this jet.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Neuroscience has long shown that watching another person experience pain activates the same neural regions as experiencing pain ourselves.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Warned about assignments, encouraged to job hunt This story is based on interviews with 10 current and former Post staffers drawn from both the newsroom and the business side of the paper.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
30 Jan. 2026
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In a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Matt Damon, the star of many movies that college students may not have seen, said that Netflix has started encouraging filmmakers to put action sequences in the first five minutes of a film to get viewers hooked.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For families The resort is family-friendly, with a selection of daily children’s activities at the kids’ club and a separate splash pad pool area with a waterslide, shooting waterspouts, treehouse and more.—
Lizbeth Scordo,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Jan. 2026
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Not for escapism, per se – Roseberry’s Schiaparelli show, one of his finest and weirdest to date, vibrated with implications about our world’s rigid definition of beauty, with horns, feathers and splashes of neon – but for indulgence.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spark. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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