as in to burn
to be on fire especially brightly
anthracite, which is naturally hard, combusts more cleanly than bituminous coal
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Example Sentences
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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
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
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Smoke blew around the crater with weak to moderate pressure and firelight was seen at the peak, indicating that the glowing volcanic material was at a shallow depth.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
22 Mar. 2025
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Everything about this adaptation is radiant — from Cinderella’s glowing blue ballgown to the heartrending relationship between the Prince (a dashing Richard Madden) and his aging father (Branagh favorite Derek Jacobi).—
Staff Author,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This incident resulted in flaming debris falling over regions including Cape Canaveral, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to initiate an investigation.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
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So far, at least, the villagers have not tried to storm the castle with flaming torches in protest.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combust.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combust. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
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