Meanings
present singular third person ignites · participle present igniting · participle past ignited · past ignited
- transitiveTo set fire to (something), to light (something)
Synonyms: inflame, kindle, aflame, alight, conflagrate, fire, fire up, inflame
- transitiveTo spark off (something), to trigger
ignite curiosity
3 more examples
ignite someone's interest
Their blend of concert harp, vibes, bass and Latin percussion ignited much of the audience.
1980 February 16, Althea, “Teresa Trull and Julie Homi with the Harp Band [review]”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 29, page 13Our observations on the way up had been mixed but the deep, crisp cold of the Peruvian night followed by a crystal clear dawn re-ignited our enthusiasm and sent us scampering across the frozen snow bowl […]
2005, Mick Fowler, On Thin Ice: Alpine Climbs in the Americas, Asia and the HimalayaSynonyms: engender, provoke, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send
- intransitiveTo commence burning.
Synonyms: catch fire, go up in flames, go up in smoke, catch fire, catch on fire, combust, conflagrate, fire
- transitivechemistryTo subject to the action of intense heat; to heat strongly; often said of incombustible or infusible substances.
to ignite iron or platinum
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo set fire to (something), to light (something)
verbTo spark off (something), to trigger
verbTo commence burning.
More synonyms by meaning
verbcause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat
verbstart to burn or burst into flames
verbarouse or excite feelings and passions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁n̥gʷnis
- Latinignis“fire”
- Latinignītus
- Englishignite
From Latin ignītus, past participle of igniō, ignire (“to set on fire, ignite”), from Latin ignis (“fire”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥gʷnis, and thus related to Sanskrit अग्नि (agní), Lithuanian ugnis, and Russian ого́нь (ogónʹ).
More words from Latin, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek αἴθω
- αἴθω (aíthō)to set fire to, to light
Basque sutu
- sututo set fire to, to light
Bulgarian запалвам се, възпламенявам се
- запалвам се (zapalvam se)to commence burning
- възпламенявам се (văzplamenjavam se)to commence burning
- паля (palja)to set fire to, to light
- запалвам (zapalvam)to set fire to, to light
Catalan encendre
- encendreto set fire to, to light
Chinese Cantonese 點火 /点火, 著火
- 點火 /点火 (dim² fo²)to commence burning
- 著火 (zoek⁶ fo²)to commence burning
Chinese Mandarin 引燃, 激發 /激发
- 引燃 (yǐnrán)to trigger
- 激發 /激发 (jīfā)to trigger
- 點火 /点火 (diǎnhuǒ)to commence burning
- 著火 (zháohuǒ)to commence burning
- 點火 /点火 (diǎnhuǒ)to set fire to, to light
- 點燃 /点燃 (diǎnrán)to set fire to, to light
Czech vznítit
- vznítitto set fire to, to light
Dutch aansteken, ontsteken
- aanstekento set fire to, to light
- ontstekento set fire to, to light
- ontbrandento set fire to, to light
Esperanto fajrigi, ekbruligi
- fajrigito set fire to, to light
- ekbruligito set fire to, to light
Finnish sytyttää, syttyä
- sytyttääto trigger
- syttyäto commence burning
- sytyttääto set fire to, to light
French déclencher, mettre le feu
- déclencherto trigger
- mettre le feuto set fire to, to light
- allumerto set fire to, to light
German zünden, anzünden
- zündento set fire to, to light
- anzündento set fire to, to light
Greek ενθουσιάζω, ανάβω
- ενθουσιάζω (enthousiázo)to trigger
- ανάβω (anávo)to commence burning
- ανάβω (anávo)to set fire to, to light
- πυρπολώ (pyrpoló)to set fire to, to light
Hebrew הדליק, הפעיל
- הדליק (hidlik)to trigger
- הפעיל (hif'il)to trigger
- התלקח (hitlakeakh)to commence burning
- נדלק (nidlak)to commence burning
- הצית (hitsit)to set fire to, to light
- הדליקto set fire to, to light
- הבעיר (hiv'ir)to set fire to, to light
Irish adhain, adhain
- adhainto commence burning
- adhainto set fire to, to light
Italian accendersi, prendere
- accendersito commence burning
- prendereto commence burning
- prendere fuocoto commence burning
- incendiareto set fire to, to light
Japanese 発火する, 燃え出す
- 発火する (hakkasuru)to commence burning
- 燃え出す (moedasu)to commence burning
- 火を点ける (hi o tsukeru)to set fire to, to light
Korean 불을 지르다, 점화(點火)하다
- 불을 지르다 (bur-eul jireuda)to set fire to, to light
- 점화(點火)하다 (jeomhwahada)to set fire to, to light
Latin ardēscō, incendō
- ardēscōto commence burning
- incendōto set fire to, to light
- ignioto set fire to, to light
Māori papahū, whakakāpura
- papahūto commence burning
- whakakāpurato set fire to, to light
Polish zapalić, zapalać
- zapalićto set fire to, to light
- zapalaćto set fire to, to light
Portuguese acender, incendiar
- acenderto commence burning
- incendiarto set fire to, to light
- acenderto set fire to, to light
Romanian aprinde, declanșa
- aprindeto trigger
- declanșato trigger
- se aprindeto commence burning
- aprindeto set fire to, to light
- da focto set fire to, to light
Russian воспламеня́ться, воспламени́ться
- воспламеня́ться (vosplamenjátʹsja)to commence burning
- воспламени́ться (vosplamenítʹsja)to commence burning
- загора́ть (zagorátʹ)to commence burning
- загоре́ть (zagorétʹ)to commence burning
- зажига́ть (zažigátʹ)to set fire to, to light
- заже́чь (zažéčʹ)to set fire to, to light
- воспламеня́ть (vosplamenjátʹ)to set fire to, to light
- воспламени́ть (vosplamenítʹ)to set fire to, to light
Spanish ignicionar, encender
- ignicionarto trigger
- encenderto trigger
- ignicionarseto commence burning
- encenderseto commence burning
- prenderse fuegoto commence burning
- ponerse ignitoto commence burning
- encenderto set fire to, to light
- incendiarto set fire to, to light
- ignicionarto set fire to, to light
- prender fuego ato set fire to, to light
- poner ignitoto set fire to, to light
Swedish tända, tända
- tändato trigger
- tändato set fire to, to light
Vietnamese đốt
- đốtto set fire to, to light
Welsh cynnau
- cynnauto set fire to, to light
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ignite
Cite this entry
ignite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ignite
“ignite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ignite. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ignite,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ignite.
Source: ignite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.