as in fuel
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as in burning
to set (something) on fire
worried that lightning will kindle the forest in the drought-stricken nature preserve
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kindling
David Gelles, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for kindling
Noun
As a result, many of the plants that grew last year are parched, turning trees, grasses and bushes into kindling that was ready to explode.
—David Gelles, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for kindling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kindling
Noun
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Back then, the U.S. was trying to conserve fuel and energy for World War I and shifted clocks to make use of natural evening sunlight.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2025
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Speaking on Friday in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump suggested that Iran’s nuclear capabilities — which now include enough near-bomb-grade fuel to produce about six weapons — were reaching a critical point.—
David E. Sanger,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The company built a retail and residential complex around the county’s Coconut Grove Metrorail station, and Martin also is pitching an incinerator site in western Miami-Dade as an alternative to the Levine Cava plan to rebuild the trash-burning facility in Doral.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
4 Jan. 2025
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As some steelmakers are beginning to embrace cleaner technology, climate and clean air advocates say Nippon's plan would have slowed the transition to greener steel by extending the life of dirty, old coal-burning furnaces.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This specific timing seemed to be a clever nod to the racing numbers of Leclerc (16) and Hamilton himself (44), igniting a social media frenzy.—
Alex Harrington,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
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News of the incident travelled around the globe, igniting outrage and sorrow.—
Megan Feringa,
The Athletic,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In a statement, SpaceX said the Flight 7 explosion was probably caused by a leak in the aft — or rear — section of the vehicle, near a tank that holds super-chilled liquid oxygen, or LOX, a type of rocket propellant.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN,
3 Mar. 2025
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The second site, located in the northern city of Semnan, the Imam Khomeini Spaceport – Iran’s first spaceport – made international headlines just last month when Tehran launched its heaviest-ever rocket into space carrying a payload of roughly 660 pounds, relying on a liquid propellant.—
Caitlin McFall,
Fox News,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The administration tried to freeze funding that Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act directed to clean energy, turning that particular clock back to 2022.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has directed his staff to review and possibly alter national monuments as part of a push to expand U.S. energy production, a move that could further shake up public lands amid mass firings of national park and forest employees.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Stray animals are also at risk of suffering from heat exhaustion during scorching summers.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
Newsweek,
2 Jan. 2025
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Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching the milk.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
28 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That power is vested in prosecutors as executive branch officials.—
Michael Rothfeld,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2025
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Her lung power seems surprisingly undiminished, and the same goes for her sense of pitch.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kindling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kindling. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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