Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Capable of igniting and burning.
  • adjective Easily aroused or excited.
  • noun A substance that ignites and burns readily.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Capable of taking fire and burning; capable of undergoing combustion: as, wood and coal are combustible.
  • Hence Easily excited; fiery; irascible; inflammable: said of persons.
  • noun A substance that will take fire and burn: as, wood and coal are combustibles; the building was full of combustibles. See combustion.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A substance that may be set on fire, or which is liable to take fire and burn.
  • adjective Capable of taking fire and burning; apt to catch fire; inflammable.
  • adjective Easily kindled or excited; quick; fiery; irascible.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Capable of burning
  • noun A material that is capable of burning.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a substance that can be burned to provide heat or power
  • adjective capable of igniting and burning

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word combustible.

Examples

  • As used in steam engineering practice, however, the term combustible is applied to that portion of the fuel which is dry and free from ash, thus including both oxygen and nitrogen which may be constituents of the fuel, though not in the true sense of the term combustible.

    Steam, Its Generation and Use

  • Barkey pointed out that since the 1990s, young Kurds have spread across Turkey, including to shantytowns on the outskirts of Istanbul, where they represent what he calls a combustible addition to the country's fragile ethnic mix, which includes disaffected Turkish youth under the sway of ultra-nationalists.

    Turks Hope For Lasting Cease-Fire With Kurds 2010

  • Barkey pointed out that since the 1990s, young Kurds have spread across Turkey, including to shantytowns on the outskirts of Istanbul, where they represent what he calls a combustible addition to the country's fragile ethnic mix, which includes disaffected Turkish youth under the sway of ultra-nationalists.

    Turks Hope For Lasting Cease-Fire With Kurds 2010

  • Barkey pointed out that since the 1990s, young Kurds have spread across Turkey, including to shantytowns on the outskirts of Istanbul, where they represent what he calls a combustible addition to the country's fragile ethnic mix, which includes disaffected Turkish youth under the sway of ultra-nationalists.

    Turks Hope For Lasting Cease-Fire With Kurds 2010

  • Jerry Lee Lewis, a pianist Isacoff classifies as a 'combustible,' performs at the Rainbow in London in 1972.

    News 2011

  • Jerry Lee Lewis, a pianist Isacoff classifies as a 'combustible,' performs at the Rainbow in London in 1972.

    News 2011

  • Jerry Lee Lewis, a pianist Isacoff classifies as a 'combustible,' performs at the Rainbow in London in 1972.

    News 2011

  • Jerry Lee Lewis, a pianist Isacoff classifies as a 'combustible,' performs at the Rainbow in London in 1972.

    News 2011

  • Jerry Lee Lewis, a pianist Isacoff classifies as a 'combustible,' performs at the Rainbow in London in 1972.

    News 2011

  • Jerry Lee Lewis, a pianist Isacoff classifies as a 'combustible,' performs at the Rainbow in London in 1972.

    News 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.