combust

verb

kəm-ˈbəst How to pronounce combust (audio)
Definition of combustnext
as in to burn
to be on fire especially brightly anthracite, which is naturally hard, combusts more cleanly than bituminous coal

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of combust One advantage is that LEDs are cooler and less likely to combust or burn. — Noël Fletcher, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024 And at many others, things combust in ways even worse than the sternest warning might have suggested. — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 17 Dec. 2024 Unlike fossil fuels, which can’t be recovered once they are combusted, the metal components of renewable energy technologies can be recycled. — Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY, 1 Dec. 2024 That turned out to be one of the sparks that Mr. McCabe’s work needed to combust into an online sensation. — Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for combust
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combust
  1. burn
  2. glow
  3. flame
Verb
  • The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.
    — Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.
    — Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023
Definition of burn
Verb
  • The information about the institute which has avoided the memory hole just sits there, though this makes some of it glow brighter.
    — Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Luckily, fake tanners is one of the best ways to get glowing quick, without any harm to your skin.
    — Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of glow
Verb
  • The Associated Press Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart.
    — arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Three minutes after that, the rocket's self-destruct system triggered an explosion that broke the Starship apart, producing a spectacular shower of flaming debris that rained down along the flight path.
    — William Harwood, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of flame

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Cite this Entry

“Combust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combust. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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