Meaning & use

ignite

verb·Academic

To set something on fire, or to cause a strong reaction or feeling to begin suddenly.

See it in a sentence

A single spark was enough to ignite the dry grass across the entire field.

The politician's speech ignited a fierce debate about immigration policy.

A note on using this word

Ignite works literally for starting fires and figuratively for triggering emotions or events, similar to 'spark' but slightly more formal.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

extinguish

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