spark
noun · verb
Showing spark , the base form of “sparkly”.
Simple meaning
A small particle of glowing matter, either molten or on fire, resulting from an electrical surge or excessive heat created by friction.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
spahrkIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈspɑɹk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A small particle of glowing matter, either molten or on fire, resulting from an electrical surge or excessive heat created by friction.
A short or small burst of electrical discharge.
figuratively
A small amount of something, such as an idea or romantic affection, that has the potential to become something greater, just as a spark can start a fire.
in the plural sparks but treated as a singular
A ship's radio operator.
A gallant; a foppish young man.
A beau, lover.
verb
transitive
To light; to kindle.
transitivefigurative
To trigger, kindle into activity (an argument, etc).
intransitiveof a gun
To shoot; to fire
intransitive
To give off a spark or sparks.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A small particle of glowing matter, either molten or on fire, resulting from an electrical surge or excessive heat created by friction.
Used this way, spark is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use spark
- “A high tension wire, brought down by a storm, can continue to spark.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An instrument that detects ionizing radiation from elementary particles.
A component of an ignition system.
A lever mounted on the steering column and used to adjust the timing of the ignition.
Put in motion or move to act.
Electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine and ignites the gas by means of an electric spark.
An early radio transmitter using a discharge across a spark gap as the source of its power.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A rapid change in brightness.
A wrench for removing or tightening spark plugs into the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.