ignite
Americanverb (used with object)
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to set on fire; kindle.
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Chemistry. to heat intensely; roast.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to catch fire or set fire to; burn or cause to burn
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(tr) chem to heat strongly
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(tr) to stimulate or provoke
the case has ignited a nationwide debate
Related Words
See kindle 1.
Other Word Forms
- ignitability noun
- ignitable adjective
- ignitibility noun
- ignitible adjective
- nonignitability noun
- nonignitable adjective
- nonignitibility noun
- nonignitible adjective
- reignite verb (used with object)
- unignitable adjective
- unignited adjective
- unigniting adjective
Etymology
Origin of ignite
First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin ignītus “set on fire,” past participle of ignīre “to set on fire,” from ign(is) “fire” + -īre, infinitive verb suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In these regions, practices such as draining peatlands for agriculture, clearing forests, and converting land for development have made peat soils far more likely to ignite.
From Science Daily • Mar. 19, 2026
When Chalamet recently said "no-one cares" about ballet or opera any more, he clearly wasn't expecting people to care enough about the remarks to ignite a furore.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026
There’s also excitement over SpaceX’s plans to go public later this year in a potentially record-setting initial public offering that could ignite broader interest in the space sector.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026
“If Edison’s tower did not ignite the fire, Altadena would still be there,” said Trevor Howard Kelley, who lost his 83-year-old mother, Erliene, in the fire.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026
Some experience will ignite somewhere deep down in me the smoldering embers of new fires and I’ll be off again to write yet another novel.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
