start a fire

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The submarine vanished on November 15, 2017 after reporting that seawater had entered the ventilation system, causing a battery on the vessel to short-circuit and start a fire.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

“Now everything is so wet it is hard to even start a fire with wood,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025

The executives blamed “below average rainfall and extended periods of high winds” for increasing the risk that the company’s equipment could start a fire.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025

"We get wood, start a fire, make dough, put it into portions, let it rise. This is what we're doing now. This process takes at least three hours," she says.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2024

“I’ll start a fire when we get home,” Jack said with a sigh.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley