enkindle

verb

in-ˈkin-dᵊl How to pronounce enkindle (audio)
Definition of enkindlenext
as in to burn
to set (something) on fire see if you can enkindle some paper in the fireplace while I look for logs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for enkindle
  1. burn
  2. ignite
  3. kindle
  4. scorch
  5. inflame
  6. illumine
  7. light
  8. fire
Verb
  • State Assembly Member John Harabedian, who represents Altadena, where the Eaton Fire killed 19 people and burned about 9,400 homes and structures, authored one of the bills passed this week.
    — Evan Bush, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The Soviet Union was an archetypal fragile superpower, its red star burning bright before its dramatic final implosion.
    — Ben Bland, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of burn
Verb
  • The explosion, which involved more than a million pounds of fireworks, killed seven people and ignited a 78-acre wildfire.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While Alaska’s smokejumpers waited for thunderheads to ignite fires, several of them worked in the loft, an airy room crammed with sewing machines and bolts of fabric on long tables.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of ignite
Verb
  • This wildfire season was supercharged by heavy rains in January that spurred vegetation growth, which became kindling when the summer heat arrived.
    — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • In northern states, like Washington and Oregon, the dry weather could further kindle destructive fires that have scorched thousands of acres.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of kindle
Verb
  • During the 2016 Chimney Fire, which scorched more than 46,000 acres in the Santa Lucia Range, one of the family’s favorite manzanita trees burned black.
    — Kathryn O’Shea-Evans, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Dangerous heat that has scorched the Southwest for days is now spreading to the nation's midsection.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of scorch
Verb
  • Injection sites can become infected, and veins can become inflamed or blocked by clots.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The race has inflamed tensions within the Democratic Party over how to energize liberal voters.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of inflame
Verb
  • Fantastic, illumined by periodic excursions into surrealism, as when the crew of a mysterious UFO boards a transpacific Kahuna Airlines jet midflight.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Geraldine walked over to Felix and Jane’s for fish soup, through long autumn shadows in the park, haze rising like smoke from the grass, illumined by the low sun.
    — Tessa Hadley, New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2026
Definition of illumine
Verb
  • During the first hour, pine grove owners urged fire commanders to light a backfire a few hundred yards from Le Porge.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Down the hall, his girlfriend examines her birth chart, lights the palo santo and wonders whether Mercury is going to wreck her Tuesday.
    — Ryan Zickgraf, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of light
Verb
  • The scale of this reliance was particularly evident during the 2022 fighting in the Donbas region, when Russian forces were firing approximately 20,000 artillery rounds per day, with peak rates exceeding 32,000 rounds on some days.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Iran still has enough drones and missiles to fire at vessels transiting the vital energy waterway, through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, effectively controlling much of the traffic in the strait.
    — Konstantin Toropin, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of fire
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

enjoys
enkindle
enkindled
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Cite this Entry

“Enkindle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enkindle. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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