kindle
/ˈkɪn.dəl/
kindle verb: to start (a fire) or light (a torch, a match, coals, etc.).
Verb (1)
kindle (third-person singular simple present kindles, present participle kindling, simple past and past participle kindled)
- To start (a fire) or light (a torch, a match, coals, etc.).
- If a person kindle a fire in the house of another person, let him pay for the house to the owner, if it be burned.1841, Ancient Laws and Institutes of Wales, page 336
- And then it was that I first perceived the danger in which I stood; for there was no hope of kindling a light, and I doubted now whether even in the light I could ever have done much to dislodge the great slab of slate.[1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, “In the Vault”, in Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC, page 65
- Synonyms:
- fire, ignite, inflame, set on fire
- Antonyms:
- douse, extinguish
- To arouse or inspire (a passion, etc).
- He kindled an enthusiasm for the project in his fellow workers.
- A Svveet diſorder in the dreſſe / Kindles in cloathes a vvantonneſſe: […]1648, Robert Herrick, “Delight in Disorder”, in Hesperides: Or, The Works both Humane & Divine […], London: […] John Williams, and Francis Eglesfield, and are to be sold by Tho[mas] Hunt, […], →OCLC...
- Antonyms:
- dampen
- To begin to grow or take hold.
- The doctor now interposed, and prevented the effects of a wrath which was kindling between Jones and Thwackum […]1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC
Noun
kindle (plural kindles)
- A group, usually a litter, of kittens, or sometimes cats more generally.
- A kindle of kittens.
- She remembers when she was asked to take in a kindle of kittens.2003, Felicity Jack, The Kindness of Strangers, Spinifex Press, page 80
Verb (2)
kindle (third-person singular simple present kindles, present participle kindling, simple past and past participle kindled)
- To bring forth young; to give birth.
- ORLANDO Are you native of this place?
ROSALIND As the cony that you see
dwell where she is kindled.c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount... - The poor beast had but lately kindled.1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C....
- ORLANDO Are you native of this place?
Adjective
in kindle (not comparable)
Proper noun capitalized: Kindle
Kindle (plural Kindles)
- A surname.
kindle meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
kindle in Hindi
- to kindle or light
- दहकाना dahkānā
kindle in Tamil
- அவா எழுப்பு, அவாஊட்டு, ஏற்று, கிளறு, தூண்டு, உணர்ச்சிக் கிளறு
kindle in Marathi
- to kindle
- चेतवणे cetavṇe
kindle in Urdu
- جگانا, جوش دلانا, پھونکنا, روشن کرنا, سلگانا, ابھارنا
More languagesFewer languages
- kindle in Bengali
- আগুন জ্বালানো
- kindle in Malayalam
- തിരികൊളുത്തുക, ഉദ്ദീപിപ്പിക്കുക
- kindle in Kannada
- ಕತ್ತು kattu, ಬೆಳಗು beḷagu
- kindle in Sanskrit
- छर्दति chardati
- kindle in Sinhala
- පත්තුකරනවා pattukaranawā
- kindle in Arabic
- شَعَّلَ šaʕʕala
- kindle in Persian
- افروختن afrôxtan, روشن کردن rowšan kardan, برانگیختن barângixtan
- kindle in Vietnamese
- nhóm, đàn
Examples of kindle in a sentence
- Let the young perish in their hour of promise—how much will they be spared!—passion, that kindles but to consume the heart, and leaves either vacancy or regret, a ruin or a desert;...1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry...
- Hawkins' article in Nature kindled response from all quarters.2013, Peter Lancaster Brown, Megaliths, Myths and Men: An Introduction to Astro-Archaeology, page 111:
- Everything seemed contingent on this arrangement: the clowder under the sill, the kindle under the bed, the ventricle next to the sleeping child slowly repairing itself.2008, Carole Maso, edited by Bradford Morrow, Fifty Contemporary Writers, Conjunctions, From Mother & Child:
- When you have chosen your kitten from the kindle (litter), being sure that this little mite is the one upon whom you wish to bestow your friendship and protection...1993, Claire Nahmad, Cat Spells, Random House Value Publishing, page 13:
Synonyms of kindle
30 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
Forms of kindle
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| third-person singular present | kindles |
| present participle | kindling |
| past participle | kindled |
| past | kindled |
| Noun | |
| plural | kindles |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Kindles |
Origin of kindle
From Middle English kyndelen, from Old Norse kynda (“to inflame”), from Proto-Germanic *kundijaną.
From Middle English kyndel, from kynde + -el. The verb is derived from the noun form by conversion.
Words formed from kindle
Phrases with kindle
Words that rhyme with kindle
Questions about kindle
- What does kindle mean?
- Kindle means to start (a fire) or light (a torch, a match, coals, etc.).
- What is kindle in Hindi?
- Kindle in Hindi is दहकाना (dahkānā). See Kindle meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use kindle in a sentence?
- Let the young perish in their hour of promise—how much will they be spared!—passion, that kindles but to consume the heart, and leaves either vacancy or regret, a ruin or a desert;...
- What part of speech is kindle?
- Kindle can be a verb, a noun, an adjective or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce kindle?
- Kindle is pronounced /ˈkɪn.dəl/.
- What is the past tense of kindle?
- The past tense of kindle is kindled.
Words near kindle in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: kindle (page history and authors); Kindle (page history and authors); दहकाना (Hindi) (page history and authors); kindle (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); चेतवणे (Marathi) (page history and authors); kindle (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); kindle (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); kindle (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ಕತ್ತು (Kannada) (page history and authors); පත්තුකරනවා (Sinhala) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-kindle.ogg, en-au-kindle.ogg.
Cite this entry: “kindle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/kindle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.