reignite

verb

re·​ig·​nite (ˌ)rē-ig-ˈnīt 

reignited; reigniting

1

transitive + intransitive : to begin or cause (something) to begin to burn again

The strong winds reignited the embers.

The fire reignited.

2

transitive : to give new life or energy to (something)

The success of the movie reignited her career.

The economic crisis has reignited debate on the regulation of banks.

3

intransitive : to reoccur suddenly

The war never really ended. It … seemed to reignite every two years or so.

—Jeffrey Bartholet

reignition

(ˌ)rē-ig-ˈni-shən 

noun

plural reignitions

measures to prevent the reignition of the fire

Crews will continue to patrol the affected areas today to keep an eye out for reignitions.

—Ryan Pfeil

Examples of reignite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The deferred prosecution agreement expired in January, days before a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max, reigniting scrutiny of whether Boeing had made required changes to its culture, quality assurance and compliance programs following the two fatal crashes. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 15 May 2024

Biden has staked his economic agenda on reigniting a U.S. manufacturing boom centered on clean energy, but the White House has accused China of flooding the markets with cheaper products that put U.S. industries at a disadvantage. —Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024

Old grudges and dormant feelings are reignited between the former lovers, whose unresolved issues risk detailing their children’s destination wedding. —Max Gao, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2024

Last year’s banking turmoil, which felled three of the largest regional lenders, reignited debate about holding executives accountable for bad decisions. —Katanga Johnson, Fortune, 4 May 2024

Everyone’s like, ‘It’s reignited skateboarding for me. —Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024

Such an event is called a nova—a rapid increase in the brightness of a white dwarf that reignites after years of slumber. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024

Elevated immigration, for example, is increasing the size of the labor force, preventing wages from surging in a way that could reignite inflation. —Will Daniel, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024

The Sheriff’s Department has five detectives assigned to cold cases who review files and look for ways to reignite investigations. —Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1