1
as in to sparkle
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 to trigger
to cause to function
interesting questions that are designed to spark the reader's brain
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Resort officials said the gondola stopped due to a mechanical alignment issue that triggered a safety sensor — bringing the lift to an automatic stop, Olympic Regional Development Authority and Gore Mountain said in a statement to Fox News Digital.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
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In contrast, during icehouse climates, the carbon sequestration into Earth's oceans dominated, lowering atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and triggering cooling.—
Ben Mather,
Space.com,
7 Feb. 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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Some believe the ouster of strongman leader Nicolás Maduro offers a glimmer of hope for rebuilding institutions and guaranteeing citizens’ rights.—
CNN 9 hr ago,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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That leads to high temperatures, which create a glowing protostar due to the rapid (kinetic) motion of the internal gas particles, and eventually, after a few tens of millions of years, the core temperatures rise high enough (above 4 million K or so) that nuclear fusion of hydrogen begins.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
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Now imagine the same with some of those teary eyes angled down toward glowing screens, while others frame the bride with their phones.—
Nikita Khanna,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 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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The numbers have been slowly ticking up for over a year – a rare bit of good news for a government that has spent billions of dollars for more than a decade encouraging people to do just that.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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Guests are encouraged to bring camp chairs or blankets.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Countries making their Winter Olympic debuts, such as Guinea-Bissau, Benin, and the UAE, may make a media splash.—
Samuel Sanders,
Time,
6 Feb. 2026
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Other teams made bigger splashes.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spark. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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