ignition
noun
ig·ni·tion
| \ ig-ˈni-shən
\
\
Definition of ignition
1
: the act or action of igniting: such as
a
: the starting of a fire
b
: the heating of a plasma to a temperature high enough to sustain nuclear fusion
2a
: the process or means (such as an electric spark) of igniting a fuel mixture
b
: a device that activates an ignition system (as in an automobile)
put the key in the ignition
Examples of ignition in a Sentence
There's a problem with the car's ignition.
Recent Examples on the Web
And a judge forced the company to respond to a media report that PG&E deferred maintenance on equipment near the ignition point of the Camp Fire, which killed 86 people and was the deadliest in state history. — Mark Chediak, Bloomberg.com, "PG&E Faces Fresh Pain as Old Fire Claims Return to Haunt It," 19 Aug. 2019 And a judge forced the company to respond to a media report that PG&E deferred maintenance on equipment near the ignition point of the Camp fire, which killed 86 people — the deadliest in state history. — Los Angeles Times, "PG&E stock plunges as $18 billion in Tubbs fire claims return to haunt it," 19 Aug. 2019 Meanwhile, a judge forced the company to respond to a Wall Street Journal report that the company deferred maintenance on equipment near the ignition point of California’s deadliest wildfire. — Bloomberg News, The Mercury News, "PG&E craters on risk of up to $18 billion in California wildfire lawsuits," 19 Aug. 2019 Given recent massive recalls of GM cars with faulty ignition switches and many more with Takata airbags, that adds up to some 70 million unrepaired cars in the US, according to the Consumer Federation of America. — Alex Davies, WIRED, "How Many Uber and Lyft Drivers Are in Recalled Cars?," 13 Aug. 2019 My brother figured out the value of his cars by leaving them unlocked with the keys in the ignition. — Ray Magliozzi, courant.com, "Car Talk: How much is my Honda CRV worth?," 30 June 2019 The cruiser was running with the keys in the ignition. — Los Angeles Times, "Video: Deputy shoots into own patrol car after robbery suspect hops inside," 15 Aug. 2019 The key was in the ignition of the motorcycle and Johnson’s helmet and gloves sat on its seat. — Alejandra Reyes-velarde, latimes.com, "A river, a motorcycle and concern over a writer’s disappearance during a test ride," 12 June 2019 There were several points of ignition as if the fire had been set in different areas of the boat, possibly with a blowtorch, the report stated. — Wayne K. Roustan, sun-sentinel.com, "Man accused of setting ex-girlfriend’s $20K boat ablaze," 2 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ignition.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ignition
ignition
noun
English Language Learners Definition of ignition
: the electrical system in an engine that causes the fuel to burn so that the engine begins working
: the device that is used to start a car's engine
: the act of causing something to start burning : the act of igniting something
See the full definition for ignition in the English Language Learners Dictionary
ignition
noun
ig·ni·tion
| \ ig-ˈni-shən
\
\
Kids Definition of ignition
1
: the act of causing something to start burning
2
: the process or means (as an electric spark) of causing the fuel in an engine to burn so that the engine begins working
3
: a device that is used to start a motor vehicle
Put the key in the ignition.
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