Meaning & use
rekindle
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Meanings
verbtransitivefigurative
To bring back a feeling, interest or relationship that had faded.
Grammar: Takes an object: rekindle a friendship.
Patterns
- rekindle something
- rekindle a friendship
The reunion helped them rekindle their old friendship.
A trip to the coast rekindled her love of painting.
The coach hoped to rekindle the team's confidence.
verbtransitive
To set a fire burning again after it has died down.
Grammar: Takes an object: rekindle the fire.
Patterns
- rekindle a fire
He blew on the embers to rekindle the campfire.
We rekindled the stove with dry twigs.
She rekindled the flame under the pot.
Word forms
| third person singular | rekindles |
|---|---|
| past tense | rekindled |
| past participle | rekindled |
| -ing form | rekindling |
Common combinations
- rekindle a romance
- They tried to rekindle their romance with a weekend away.
- rekindle interest
- The exhibition rekindled public interest in the poet.
- rekindle hope
- The news rekindled hope among the families.
- rekindle a friendship
- A letter helped him rekindle a friendship.
- rekindle memories
- The old photographs rekindled memories of childhood.
Synonyms and how they differ
- revive
- Revive is broader and can apply to people, plants, customs or businesses, not only feelings.
- reawaken
- Reawaken stresses something dormant waking up again, a bit more poetic than rekindle.
- restore
- Restore means to return something to a former condition and does not suggest the warm glow of a feeling.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rekindle or reignite?
rekindle vs reignite
Reignite is close in meaning but is more often used for sudden, intense revivals such as conflicts.
Practice
The documentary helped ____ interest in space travel among young people.
Choose one answer.
Interest that had faded and returned is rekindled. Extinguish has the opposite effect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rekindle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.