Meaning & use
kindling
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Meanings
noununcountable
Thin pieces of dry wood or similar material that burn easily and are used to get a fire going.
Grammar: No plural and no a: some kindling, a bundle of kindling.
Patterns
- a bundle of kindling
- kindling for something
He split a few logs into kindling before lighting the stove.
Dry twigs make excellent kindling on a camping trip.
We kept a basket of kindling next to the fireplace.
noununcountableliteraryfigurative
The act of starting a fire, or of beginning to arouse a feeling or interest.
Grammar: A rare, formal use that comes from the verb kindle: the kindling of hope.
Patterns
- the kindling of something
The kindling of a fire in the dark hall brought the family together.
Her teacher's praise led to the kindling of a lifelong love of poetry.
The speech was meant to cause the kindling of fresh hope in the town.
Common combinations
- gather kindling
- The children went out to gather kindling for the evening fire.
- split kindling
- She split kindling with a small hatchet.
- dry kindling
- Dry kindling catches fire within seconds.
- a bundle of kindling
- He carried a bundle of kindling under one arm.
- kindling and logs
- Start with kindling and add logs only once the flames are steady.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tinder
- Tinder is even finer, such as dry grass or bark, and catches a spark, while kindling is slightly bigger and feeds the flame.
- firewood
- Firewood is the whole supply of wood for burning, but kindling is only the small pieces that start the fire.
- brushwood
- Brushwood means small cut or fallen branches in general, so it is looser than kindling, which has been picked for lighting a fire.
Word family
Commonly confused: kindling or Kindle?
kindling vs Kindle
Kindle is a brand name for an e-reader, though the word comes from the same verb that means to light a fire.
Practice
To start the campfire quickly, Maya piled small dry twigs, or ____, under the larger logs.
Choose one answer.
Kindling is the small dry wood used to get a fire started. Lumber and timber are larger cut wood used for building, so they would not catch fire quickly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kindling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.