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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 The massive influx of people, which totaled 70% of Ceuta’s resident population, sparked calls by local Spanish authorities for police and the army to establish order. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026 His death sparked an outpouring of adoration from his Sopranos’ castmates, among others. — Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026 Instead, Warsh’s comments during his post-meeting press conference sparked a selloff in Treasuries that sent yields sharply higher. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2026 For many families still waiting to move in, this has sparked hope. — Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026 The case went unresolved for nearly six years before detectives received a tip in 2023, which sparked the investigation and led to murder charges against Thompson, who was 18 years old at the time of the homicide. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 31 July 2026 The crash sparked a fire in a field on the base, according to the spokesperson. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 31 July 2026 The fire near Brignoles sparked on Wednesday and burned about 250 acres. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026 Romance sparked between their characters in the second season, and the pair got married in season 3 and welcomed their first child in season 4. — Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparked
  1. sparkled
  2. triggered
  3. provoked
  4. glowed
  5. activated
  6. encouraged
  7. flashed
  8. drove
Verb
  • A day later in Rome, Zendaya sparkled in a Versace red-and-blue, color-block chainmail top and skirt set from the brand's fall/winter 1997 collection.
    — Morgan Evans, USA Today, 28 July 2026
  • New signing Johan Manzambi sparkled for Switzerland before missing their final two knockout-phase matches with a knee issue, though.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of sparkled
Verb
  • However, amongst all of these cases, there are some that were seemingly triggered remotely, and this leads Batou and Togusa on the trail of a shady robotics manufacturer, with a corrupt and entirely cybernetic boss.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The Iran war triggered a historic oil shortage that drove up fuel costs and catapulted inflation to a three-year high.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of triggered
Verb
  • That provoked a campaign of US strikes early in 2025, which degraded their capabilities.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 26 July 2026
  • Speculation continues to swirl around Fernandez’s future, provoked further by Fernandez now being a villain in the eyes of many English soccer fans.
    — Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of provoked
Verb
  • String lights glowed overhead as the San Gabriel Mountains went dark behind them.
    — David Hochman, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The picture glowed, the sound was clear; nothing blurred, slanted, or bled off the screen.
    — Lane Brown, Vulture, 25 July 2026
Definition of glowed
Verb
  • In one incident, a child activated bear spray in a crowd; in another, officers recovered a gun after chasing another youth, police said.
    — Nathan Pilling July 29, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2026
  • The right-handed closer is scheduled to be activated Wednesday — fittingly, when 40,000 fans will receive an Díaz bobblehead — after missing three months because of right elbow surgery.
    — Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of activated
Verb
  • More than 48 hours later, the team hasn’t released any MRI results and Bader has declined to provide public comments, despite being encouraged by the club to talk to reporters or make a statement.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • Cruz and Bardem have always encouraged their children’s creative pursuits.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • After the match, the Young Bucks entered the ring and an All In graphic flashed on the screen.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • So that alone explains the rarified talents Jones flashed for so many great Braves teams for so many years.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of flashed
Verb
  • The Jayhawks defeated Wichita State on Monday in Wichita, drove back to Lawrence on Tuesday morning, then boarded the bus for Lexington late Tuesday afternoon.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
  • The Iran war triggered a historic oil shortage that drove up fuel costs and catapulted inflation to a three-year high in May, the same month Warsh took the helm of the central bank.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 30 July 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 2 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of sparked for Spanish Speakers

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