What does "kindling" mean?

Small pieces of wood and twigs used to start a fire.

What is a synonym for "kindling"?

Common synonyms include: ignition, backlog, bavin, brush, brushwood, enkindling.

//ˈkɪnd.lɪŋ// adj, noun, verb

adj, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Small pieces of wood and twigs used to start a fire.
"Go and collect some kindling."
2
the act of setting something on fire wordnet
3
The act by which something is kindled.
"December 14, 1784, Hester Rogers, letter to the Rev. Mr. Fletcher The kindlings of love which had been felt before, now became a flame in every believing soul; and when fallen on our knees, the power of God descended of a truth […]"
4
material for starting a fire wordnet

Verb

1
present participle and gerund of kindle form-of, gerund, participle, present
"Despite the damp wood, he had no trouble kindling a fire."

Adjective

1
Illuminated, lit.
"The morning o'er the gilded grove Bright on the kindling landscape fell, I sought her where she oft did rove In want and sorrow's lonely cell;—"

"Whoops! There aren't many live coals left! Go make some kindling would you?"

From kindle + -ing.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.