tinder
noun
tin·der
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Definition of tinder
1
: a very flammable substance adaptable for use as kindling
2
: something that serves to incite or inflame
that rhetoric was ready tinder for revolution— Margaret Peters
Examples of tinder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Brazilian economy is tinder for deforestation fires (about 60 percent of the Amazon is within the borders of Brazil). — Jessica L. Yarbrough, Vogue, "Beauty Brands Are Taking Action for the Amazon—Here’s How You Can Too," 26 Aug. 2019 And the Equal Rights Amendment is the tinder that can spark the unstoppable fire of equality in this country. — Betty Folliard, Twin Cities, "Betty Folliard: ERA 2020 — let’s finish what the suffragists started," 25 Aug. 2019 As boggy soils drain to rivers and oceans in the Arctic, peaty soils will dry out and turn into tinder. — Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, "Deforestation, Agriculture, and Diet Are Fuelling the Climate Crisis," 8 Aug. 2019 This has dried out the landscape, producing tinder for natural forest fires that were probably ignited by lightning. — The Economist, "The Arctic is ablaze," 1 Aug. 2019 The weather in the Talkeetna area, as across much of Alaska, has been blazing hot and tinder dry in recent weeks. — Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, "Mandatory evacuations lifted for upstart wildfire near Talkeetna," 8 July 2019 There are the blistering summers, which can create tinder-like conditions. — Peter Schwartzstein, National Geographic, "Iraq races to save last of Middle East's forests from burning," 22 July 2019 But experts call that counterproductive, because companies often cut the biggest, most fire-resistant trees while leaving behind combustible piles of low-value tinder (Climatewire, June 17). — Scott Waldman, Scientific American, "In Environment Speech, Trump Fails to Mention Climate Change," 9 July 2019 This time the tinder was an extradition bill that would allow people accused of crimes in mainland China to be sent there for trial, a power which many worry would be wielded to stifle dissent. — The Economist, "Protesters expose a fractured Hong Kong, but China’s grip only tightens," 5 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tinder.' 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 tinder
tinder
noun
English Language Learners Definition of tinder
: dry material (such as wood or grass) that burns easily and can be used to start a fire
See the full definition for tinder in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tinder
noun
tin·der
| \ ˈtin-dər
\
\
Kids Definition of tinder
: material that burns easily and can be used as kindling