combustible
adjective
com·bus·ti·ble
kəm-ˈbə-stə-bəl 
1
: capable of combustion
combustible materials, such as paper, leaves, and sawdust
combustible gases
2
: easily excited
a combustible temper
The coach had to keep the combustible players under control.
Examples of combustible in a Sentence
The fuel is highly combustible.
don't store oily rags and other combustible materials in a hot attic
Recent Examples on the Web
Both instances violated fire protection procedures that require maintaining at least 5 feet of distance between hot metal surfaces and combustible material.
—
Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
Neighbors whose homes are farther apart face another risk: The vegetation and other combustible materials in between properties can fuel a wildfire.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
As wildfires devastated communities in southern California over the past three weeks, an unknown number of highly combustible lithium-ion batteries found in everything from Apple AirPods to Tesla Cybertrucks were engulfed in flames and released dangerous chemical pollutants into the air.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 30 Jan. 2025
For instance, pipes carrying combustible fuels like gas can accumulate significant charge along the walls even if those pipes are nonconducting.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combustible
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
Neighbors whose homes are farther apart face another risk: The vegetation and other combustible materials in between properties can fuel a wildfire.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
As wildfires devastated communities in southern California over the past three weeks, an unknown number of highly combustible lithium-ion batteries found in everything from Apple AirPods to Tesla Cybertrucks were engulfed in flames and released dangerous chemical pollutants into the air.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 30 Jan. 2025
For instance, pipes carrying combustible fuels like gas can accumulate significant charge along the walls even if those pipes are nonconducting.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combustible
Articles Related to combustible
Cite this Entry
“Combustible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combustible. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
combustible
adjective
com·bus·ti·ble
kəm-ˈbəs-tə-bəl
1
: capable of being burned
2
: catching fire or burning easily
combustible
noun
Medical Definition
combustible
adjective
com·bus·ti·ble
kəm-ˈbəs-tə-bəl
: capable of combustion
combustible anesthetics
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share