Meaning & use
incense sticks
Last updated
Meaning
nounplural
Thin sticks coated with a substance that burns slowly and gives off a pleasant smell.
Grammar: Almost always plural; one piece is 'an incense stick' or 'a stick of incense'.
Patterns
- light an incense stick
- burn incense sticks
- the smell of incense sticks
She lit a few incense sticks and the whole room smelled of sandalwood.
Incense sticks are often burned during meditation or prayer.
The ash from the incense sticks had fallen onto the table.
Word forms
| singular | incense stick |
|---|
Common combinations
- light an incense stick
- He lit an incense stick before he started to meditate.
- burn incense sticks
- They burn incense sticks in the temple every morning.
- the smell of incense sticks
- The smell of incense sticks filled the small shop.
- a pack of incense sticks
- I bought a pack of incense sticks at the market.
Synonyms and how they differ
- joss stick
- A very similar item, but the word is used mainly for sticks burned in Chinese religious practice.
- incense
- The general word for the substance or the smell; 'incense sticks' names the specific thin form.
Word family
Commonly confused: incense sticks or incents?
incense sticks vs incents
A rare verb meaning to encourage; it sounds similar but has nothing to do with burning sticks.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'incense sticks' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Incense sticks are burned for their smell, so 'lit ... to make the room smell nice' fits. The other options describe eating, writing or wearing, which are not things you do with incense sticks.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “incense sticks”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.