kindling

noun

kin·​dling ˈkin(d)-liŋ How to pronounce kindling (audio)
ˈkin-lən
: easily combustible material for starting a fire

Examples of kindling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
After two wet winters fueled the growth of grasses and brush — ideal kindling for fires — across SoCal mountains and hillsides, the last few months saw an abrupt shift to record-dry conditions. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025 And so Lively’s allegations against Baldoni were never going to be seen as brave, but, rather, as the kindling for a culture war. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025 After two very rainy years, brush on the hillsides of Los Angeles had a chance to grow – into lots of kindling. Chloe Sorvino, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025 So, your family members may have older resentments that acted as kindling. R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 28 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for kindling 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1522, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kindling was circa 1522

Dictionary Entries Near kindling

Cite this Entry

“Kindling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kindling. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

kindling

noun
kin·​dling ˈkin-(d)liŋ How to pronounce kindling (audio)
: material that burns easily and is used to start a fire

Medical Definition

kindling

noun
kind·​ling ˈkin-dliŋ How to pronounce kindling (audio)
: the electrophysiological changes that occur in the brain as a result of repeated intermittent exposure to a subthreshold electrical or chemical stimulus (as one causing seizures) so that there develops a usually permanent decrease in the threshold of excitability
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