sparking

verb

present participle of spark
1
as in sparkling
to give off sparks the broken radio sparked and smoked the instant it was plugged in

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in triggering
to cause to function interesting questions that are designed to spark the reader's brain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in provoking
to rouse to strong feeling or action President Kennedy's inspirational speeches sparked a generation of young idealists to enter the public arena

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sparking Polling shows the race has grown increasingly close, sparking concern from Republicans. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026 Following light snowfall and a lackluster ski season, the Boise area experienced a series of heat waves and persistent drought conditions, sparking a number of devastating fires. — Hali Smith october 25, Idaho Statesman, 25 Oct. 2026 She was arrested and charged with second-degree child endangerment after her daughter reportedly arrived at school with sunburns, sparking a media frenzy over Krentcil's extreme tanning habits and parenting. — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026 Five dolphins died in less than eight months, sparking public outrage, raids by law enforcement and a criminal investigation. — Valerie Greene, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026 New anti-government protests about social and economic inequalities are expected in Paris and other European cities this weekend, sparking rumors that Art Basel may also have to close early as a result. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 At least one witness told cops the teen was smoking marijuana on the train when Rodriguez confronted him about it, sparking an argument, but police have since discounted that theory, sources said. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026 When an ingenious serial killer begins murdering Minneapolis citizens, Davenport, a brilliant polymath and unconventional investigator, takes the case, sparking an intense psychological duel with an equally intelligent adversary. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026 Trump has waived sanctions on imports of Russian diesel and on Friday invoked a waiver exempting Russia from sweeping economic penalties mandated by the US Congress, sparking criticism even from Republicans. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sparking
  1. sparkling
  2. triggering
  3. provoking
  4. glowing
  5. activating
  6. encouraging
  7. driving
  8. stimulating
Verb
  • Boisset also has younger wine drinkers in mind with his plans for Artesa, which began life in 1992 as sparkling-wine house Codorniu Napa, a New World extension of the Raventós Codorníu family of Cava fame.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Styled by Molly Dickson, Grace opted for a sparkling outfit this Friday.
    — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of sparkling
Verb
  • Once a dominant force in the chip manufacturing landscape, Intel hit major delays with its 7- and 10-nanometer nodes, triggering the stock's worst year ever in 2024.
    — Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Both scenarios would have devastating consequences—dramatically transforming sea levels and ecosystems, and triggering compounding climate extremes such as higher temperatures and drought, increasing the likelihood of wildfires.
    — Simmone Shah, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of triggering
Verb
  • In 2012 American entrepreneur Russ George spread roughly 100 tons of iron in the North Pacific, provoking international criticism that a commercial venture had begun geoengineering without adequate oversight.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The same principle applies to debates about religion, economics and virtually any subject capable of provoking strong emotions.
    — Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of provoking
Verb
  • The deep-space image reveals a 230-light-year-wide swathe of the glowing emission nebula N159, threaded with denser filaments of reddish molecular hydrogen that hide countless energetic young stars.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The yellow Pokémon mascot had glowing glasses and ears that changed colors along with the set.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of glowing
Verb
  • Those cases often centered on devices mistakenly activating or capturing speech that was not intended as a command.
    — MacKenzie Sigalos,Annie Palmer, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Semaglutide mimics its activity by activating GLP-1 receptors in the body.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of activating
Verb
  • Lewis George responded to the legislation on X by encouraging Congress to reject the bill.
    — Irit Skulnik, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Young posted previously about encouraging people to vote for Wagnon.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraging
Verb
  • That's primarily the point, said Idaho House Majority Leader Jason Monks, a Republican who sponsored the measure as a means of driving up voter turnout during the midterm elections.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Technique works well in testing This strategy optimizes both the transport and perovskite layers together, driving efficiency and durability to record levels.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of driving
Verb
  • Peptide enthusiasts also tout laboratory studies, such as a particular peptide stimulating blood vessel growth.
    — Amy Maxmen, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • In part that’s because voters see federal investment as creating local jobs and stimulating economic growth.
    — Kayla Morton, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of stimulating

Browse Nearby Words

sparkily
sparking
sparkle
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sparking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sparking. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All