firelighter

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableBritish

   A small block of waxy or chemical material that burns easily and helps start a fire in a grate or barbecue.

   Grammar: Countable: a packet of firelighters, one firelighter.

   Patterns

   • a firelighter for something

   Put a firelighter under the kindling and strike a match.

   We keep a box of firelighters beside the wood-burning stove.

   The firelighter burned for ten minutes, long enough to get the logs going.

2. 2nouncountablerareold-fashioned

   A person whose job or task is to light a fire, such as a furnace attendant.

   Grammar: Rare and old-fashioned: the firelighter arrived at dawn.

   The firelighter at the old mill arrived at five every morning.

   Each ward had a firelighter who kept the stoves going.

Word forms

Common combinations

box of firelighters

We need a box of firelighters for the camping trip.

use a firelighter

Use a firelighter rather than paper to start the barbecue.

natural firelighter

Natural firelighters are made from wood wool and wax.

light a firelighter

Light a firelighter and wait for the kindling to catch.

Synonyms and how they differ

fire starter

is the usual American word and can also mean a person who causes fires.

kindling

is small sticks of wood, while a firelighter is a prepared block.

tinder

is dry material that catches easily, whereas a firelighter burns longer.

match

produces the first flame but does not keep burning like a firelighter.

Opposites

Word family

fire noun

burning that gives heat

light verb

to make something burn

lighter noun

a device that makes a flame

fireplace noun

the place where a fire burns in a room

Commonly confused: firelighter or firefighter?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “firelighter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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