1
: a very flammable substance adaptable for use as kindling
2
: something that serves to incite or inflame
that rhetoric was ready tinder for revolution—
Margaret Peters
Margaret PetersExamples of tinder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But even so, regardless of the cause, once a fire is lit in a tinder box environment like a windy Los Angeles, the business of extinguishing it takes a massive expenditure of public effort and treasure—all in the face of a massive loss of life and property.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 14 Jan. 2025
Such a boom and bust cycle means a lot of lush greenery that grows in the rainy times, and a lot of dead leaves, trees and other tinder that gets left behind when things dry.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Jan. 2025
In general, a market this oversold means there’s plenty of tinder for a rally and any bit of good news will provide the spark.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2024
At most of these establishments the particulars were largely the same: sheets, blankets, and furniture piled atop mattresses in a tinder heap; apothecary vials left behind at the scene; guestbook listings indicating that a young man with a generic name had checked into the room.
—Longreads, 3 Oct. 2024
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Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 14 Jan. 2025
Such a boom and bust cycle means a lot of lush greenery that grows in the rainy times, and a lot of dead leaves, trees and other tinder that gets left behind when things dry.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Jan. 2025
In general, a market this oversold means there’s plenty of tinder for a rally and any bit of good news will provide the spark.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2024
At most of these establishments the particulars were largely the same: sheets, blankets, and furniture piled atop mattresses in a tinder heap; apothecary vials left behind at the scene; guestbook listings indicating that a young man with a generic name had checked into the room.
—Longreads, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tinder
Dictionary Entries Near tinder
Cite this Entry
“Tinder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tinder. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tinder
noun
tin·der
ˈtin-dər 
: a material that burns easily and can be used as kindling
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