Synonyms of sparking

sparking

verb

present participle of spark

1

as in sparkling

to give off sparks

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sparkling
• glowing
• flashing
• shining
• burning
• scintillating
• blazing
• twinkling
• flaming
• radiating
• lighting (up)
• combusting
• flaring (up)

2

as in triggering

to cause to function

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• triggering
• activating
• driving
• generating
• powering
• igniting
• moving
• fueling
• starting
• provoking
• running
• charging
• pushing
• setting off
• actuating
• firing
• cranking (up)
• turning on
• touching off
• electrifying
• launching
• stimulating
• energizing
• switching
• releasing
• inciting
• discharging
• arousing
• tripping
• reactivating
• exciting
• accelerating
• turning over
• instigating
• catalyzing
• recharging
• vitalizing
• kicking over
• quickening
• kick-starting
• jump-starting
• stirring up
• speeding (up)
• stepping up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• killing
• cutting
• stopping
• checking
• cutting out
• sticking
• shutting off
• arresting
• halting
• turning off
• stalling
• braking
• cutting off
• jamming
• suppressing
• drawing up
• slowing
• deactivating
• repressing
• decelerating
• stunting

3

as in provoking

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

• provoking
• encouraging
• stimulating
• stirring
• arousing
• inciting
• inspiring
• moving
• instigating
• exciting
• triggering
• motivating
• igniting
• driving
• inducing
• firing (up)
• revving (up)
• piquing
• impassioning
• fanning
• motiving
• galvanizing
• inflaming
• activating
• building a fire under
• kindling
• energizing
• angering
• fomenting
• animating
• quickening
• vitalizing
• bothering
• enraging
• setting off
• fermenting
• keying (up)
• raising
• upsetting
• abetting
• teasing
• whipping (up)
• taunting
• pumping up
• jeering
• getting
• maddening
• irritating
• aggravating
• annoying
• exasperating
• vexing
• galling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• calming
• soothing
• subduing
• tranquilizing
• appeasing
• pacifying
• placating
• mollifying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sparking

These are proactive, temporary electricity shutoffs to prevent high-voltage power lines and equipment from sparking wildfires during red flag weather conditions. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

In July, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI announced that its AI agents hacked into the company Hugging Face, sparking concern among cybersecurity experts as well as consumers. — Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Before the suspension, FCC chair Brendan Carr threatened ABC to take action against Kimmel, sparking outcry and accusations of government censorship. — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

The post has been viewed more than 155 million times, spurring calls from legislators to hold special sessions of Congress to take action and sparking a wave of AI employees to speak out in support of his concerns. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026

One landed in a field north of the capital, sparking a fire, while the other continued into Romanian airspace. — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Anthropic declined to submit its latest model for testing to a top British AI safety institute, sparking fears in the UK that reviews of frontier AI would become the sole province of Washington. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Less than two weeks after sparking dating rumors on TikTok in early March 2025, the pair confirmed their relationship with a hard launch on Instagram. — Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026

The tragedy of 9/11 brought attention to how security officer wages and benefits did not match their essential role, sparking 32BJ SEIU’s Stand For Security campaign to uplift and organize thousands of security officers across the city. — Yvette Cumberbatch, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026