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.

Chilean police announced on Thursday the arrest of a third person in the country's wildfire-ravaged south who they said was deliberately trying to start a fire.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 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

“It is kind of a dry lightning setup where you get the lightning that could start a fire but not the rain that would put it out,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2025

"Because there is no cooking gas, no food. When we want to have a cup of tea, I collect leaves to start a fire."

From BBC • May 2, 2025

One of the pilots had used a watch crystal as a magnifying glass to focus the sun and start a fire so they didn’t have to eat the lizards raw.

From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen