ignite
verb /ɪɡˈnaɪt/
/ɪɡˈnaɪt/
[intransitive, transitive] (formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they ignite | /ɪɡˈnaɪt/ /ɪɡˈnaɪt/ |
| he / she / it ignites | /ɪɡˈnaɪts/ /ɪɡˈnaɪts/ |
| past simple ignited | /ɪɡˈnaɪtɪd/ /ɪɡˈnaɪtɪd/ |
| past participle ignited | /ɪɡˈnaɪtɪd/ /ɪɡˈnaɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form igniting | /ɪɡˈnaɪtɪŋ/ /ɪɡˈnaɪtɪŋ/ |
- to start to burn; to make something start to burn
- Gas ignites very easily.
- (figurative) Tempers ignited when the whole family spent Christmas together.
- ignite something Flames melted a lead pipe and ignited leaking gas.
- (figurative) His words ignited their anger.
Extra Examples- The burning foam generates such heat that other items in the room can ignite spontaneously.
- The gunpowder sometimes fails to ignite.
- an explosive that is easily ignited
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- spontaneously
- instantly
- suddenly
- …
- fail to
Word Originmid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘make intensely hot’): from Latin ignire ‘set on fire’, from ignis ‘fire’.