How to Use kindling in a Sentence

kindling

noun
  • That’s the flint, but that’s not the kindling.
    — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026
  • The fires might be put out for a time, but the kindling would remain.
    — Libby Watson, The New Republic, 1 June 2020
  • The lint will light quickly and get your kindling off to a good start.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Beneath me, one by one, logs are added to a nest of kindling in the hearth.
    — Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
  • On top, make a small tepee-style fire of tinder and kindling.
    — Emily Reed, Outside Online, 14 Apr. 2019
  • All that parched brush worked like kindling and soon the endless pines began to be set ablaze.
    — Joseph Bien-Kahn, Rolling Stone, 11 June 2023
  • That’s the flint but that’s not the kindling, however.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026
  • Each alone could have ignited the kindling that has blazed into an all-out war.
    — Editorial Board, Star Tribune, 19 May 2021
  • Most of these tools are at home chopping down trees and splitting the wood into kindling.
    — Tim MacWelch, Outdoor Life, 27 Jan. 2020
  • The more immunizations go around, the less kindling there is for the virus to burn.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2021
  • Hold the kindling in place using a scrap of wood with a roofing nail driven through its end.
    — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 16 Nov. 2018
  • Now, all that kindling is dry following the long, arid months of summer.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
  • All the kindling was already stacked, the pandemic was just the spark that lit the fire.
    — Andy O'Connor, SPIN, 18 Jan. 2022
  • Trying to get a spark from a damp match is a lot harder than holding a flame to dry kindling.
    — Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2020
  • That reassessment proved to be the creative kindling in her mind.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2025
  • The resourceful men threw their own shawls onto her for kindling.
    — Namwali Serpell, Harper's Magazine, 18 Aug. 2020
  • The news spread like fire on dry kindling, lighting a nationwide craze.
    — David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 15 May 2022
  • This fireplace grate comes with nine bars, providing a ton of area to rest your kindling.
    — Chris Hachey, BGR, 3 May 2021
  • Gather dry tinder, such as birchbark, and a large amount of dry twigs for kindling.
    — Jim Baird, Field & Stream, 28 June 2023
  • The building also has hardwood floors, adding to the kindling.
    — miamiherald, 13 Sep. 2017
  • Simply light the edge of the paper egg cup and place it next to your kindling to get a good blaze started.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 3 Feb. 2026
  • My daughter scatters my kindling and my son manages to hit himself in the eye with a stick.
    — Reid Doughten, Longreads, 22 Sep. 2017
  • There’s no need to supply any logs or kindling, as it’s powered by a propane tank that stays hidden from sight.
    — Rebecca Martinson, Rolling Stone, 11 July 2024
  • This turns leaf litter and branches into perfect kindling for fire to tear through.
    — Jake Frederico, The Arizona Republic, 12 May 2023
  • Cover the flat surface with a thick layer of tinder and kindling.
    — T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, 9 Jan. 2017
  • The kindling was laid by the drought that has been ravaging eastern Australia for two years.
    — The Economist, 16 Nov. 2019
  • The rain fueled the growth of grasses and shrubs, before drought turned it into kindling.
    — Simmone Shah, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
  • And this sheer madness provides enough kindling to light Tribal afire.
    — Nick Caruso, TVLine, 11 Dec. 2024
  • What’s happening in this early stage of Alzheimer’s can be likened to the kindling that starts a house fire.
    — Elie Dolgin, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2017
  • This kit also includes instructions on how to select kindling and build your fire from the ground up.
    — Jim Cobb, Field & Stream, 14 Feb. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kindling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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