lighter fluid

noun

1

: the liquid in a lighter (such as a cigarette lighter) that is its fuel

2

: a liquid accelerant used especially to ignite charcoal briquettes for grilling food

The average back-yard chef, wishing to cook hamburgers, tries to ignite the charcoal via the Squirt, Light and Wait Method, wherein you squirt lighter fluid on a pile of briquettes, light the pile, then wait until they have turned a uniform grey.

—Dave Barry

Examples of lighter fluid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Advertisement Police alleged that Cole set a bush on fire next to a home in Fountain Valley’s Arches Court neighborhood after dousing it with lighter fluid. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024

Gloves and bleach were found in the front of the car and lighter fluid was in the backseat, the medical examiner wrote in the report. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 25 Nov. 2024

Grilling Don't use lighter fluid or an accelerant to light your grill. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman, 27 June 2024

Then Woody sent him into the house for matches and lighter fluid. —Shaun Raviv, WIRED, 21 Jan. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 1