sparked

verb

past tense of spark
1
as in sparkled
to give off sparks the broken radio sparked and smoked the instant it was plugged in

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in triggered
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 provoked
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

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 sparked Snowden’s leaks in 2013 revealed NSA programs that sparked a global debate about government surveillance. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 The rise in such killings has sparked protests and calls for government action as many of the killings remain unsolved while others go unreported. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 Ukrainian attacks on oil facilities, like the attack on this Moscow refinery in May, have sparked fuel shortages in Russia. — Abigail Williams, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026 The shooting also sparked criticism of the shopping center, with Mayor Brandon Scott calling out the Popeye's for serving the students during school hours, which is a finable offense in the city. — Renee Anderson, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 The protests have been building since late September, sparked by complaints of staff shortages and dilapidated schools. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026 Kenya hiked fuel prices in order to contain surging government spending sparked by the war in the Middle East, which has badly exposed Africa’s reliance on energy imports. — semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026 The widespread demonstrations sparked heavy security deployments as tensions boiled over near college campuses and civic landmarks. — Staff, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 The Thursday announcement has sparked confusion among technology workers and companies. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparked
  1. sparkled
  2. triggered
  3. provoked
  4. glowed
  5. activated
  6. encouraged
  7. flashed
  8. drove
Verb
  • In one mirror selfie, Hurley lounged on a bed with her bare legs on display, holding up her phone as the oversized ring sparkled on her finger.
    — Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The canal sparkled gray-green in the sunlight and on the opposite bank, people walked their dogs and relaxed on benches along 365’s esplanade.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of sparkled
Verb
  • The attack has caused huge disruption to air travel and triggered a wave of cancellations for events taking place in the Saudi capital this week, with the World Petroleum Congress this week most directly impacted.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The crisis was triggered when about 80,000 people poured into the Spanish exclave in late July from neighboring Morocco, driven by rumors online that Spain had opened its border.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of triggered
Verb
  • Sectarian violence made religious mobilization increasingly unattractive, while foreign occupation provoked an awareness of Iraqi nationhood.
    — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Even in a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world, the scale of the killings in such a short space of time has provoked shock.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of provoked
Verb
  • Their living structures glowed at night a hundred miles up and down the coast.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Her body skin shimmered, and her face glowed, looking even brighter with the help of what appear to be light-brown color contact lenses.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of glowed
Verb
  • Federal immigration officials need to ensure that body cameras worn by officers are uniformly activated when needed, a government report released Wednesday said, following a series of contentious shootings and aggressive arrests by ICE officers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The carrier is expected to hold NATO command ship responsibilities until mid-2027, positioning it to lead a multinational naval force if activated during an international crisis.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of activated
Verb
  • He was encouraged to do so by Sadie Sink, who returned to Broadway in 2025 John Proctor is the Villain.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
  • For businesses, flood panels are not only permissible but also encouraged via flood insurance discounts.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • Wings Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams started the Lakers’ preseason opener and the defensive-minded players flashed their potential by hounding opponents the full length of the court.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • During one incident, Cameron flashed the weapon at a drugstore and was nearly shot by police.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of flashed
Verb
  • The individual who inflicted the fatal injury drove the spear downward through the victim’s left chest cavity from the front, piercing major arteries and the lungs before creating the hole in the left scapula.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Ohtani drove the Struggle Bus into Game 3, having struck out seven times in 20 playoff at-bats, with only three singles and no extra-base hits and no RBIs.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of drove

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spark
sparked
sparker
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Cite this Entry

“Sparked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparked. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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