kindled; kindling
ˈkin(d)-liŋ 
ˈkin-dᵊl-iŋ
1
: to start (a fire) burning : light
using dry twigs to kindle a fire
3
: to cause to glow : illuminate
animation kindling his pale face—
A. J. Cronin
A. J. Cronin1
: to catch fire : begin to burn
waiting for the fire to kindle
2
a
: to flare up
… their mutual resentment again kindled …—Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon
b
: to become animated
no boy will fail to kindle to the struggles of his California youth—Ethna Sheehan
Ethna Sheehan3
: to become illuminated
light kindled in the liquor—Frances G. Patton
Frances G. Patton
kindled; kindling
: bear sense 3a
—used especially of a rabbit
: to bring forth young
—used especially of a rabbit
Synonyms
Examples of kindle in a Sentence
Verb (1)
worried that lightning will kindle the forest in the drought-stricken nature preserve
Recent Examples on the WebHelen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Tanton kindles a small fire of twigs inside a metal pitcher, while expounding for the camera about ecology and overpopulation.
—Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024
Governments subject to the rule of law are usually incapable of kindling such outrage in the first place.
—Ivan Perkins, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2014
Sadly, the wood kindling this fire—burning slowly in the declining white working class since the 1970’s—is shame.
—Arlie Russell Hochschild, TIME, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for kindle 
Verb
But the couple must also kindle something together.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Tanton kindles a small fire of twigs inside a metal pitcher, while expounding for the camera about ecology and overpopulation.
—Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024
Governments subject to the rule of law are usually incapable of kindling such outrage in the first place.
—Ivan Perkins, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2014
Sadly, the wood kindling this fire—burning slowly in the declining white working class since the 1970’s—is shame.
—Arlie Russell Hochschild, TIME, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for kindle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kindle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near kindle
Cite this Entry
“Kindle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kindle. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
kindle
intransitive verb
kin·dle
ˈkin-dᵊl
kindled; kindling
: to bring forth young
—used chiefly of a rabbit
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