SPARK

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Spark mean? 

• SPARK (noun)
  The noun SPARK has 6 senses:

1. a momentary flash of light

2. merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance

3. electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field

4. a small but noticeable trace of some quality that might become stronger

5. Scottish writer of satirical novels (born in 1918)

6. a small fragment of a burning substance thrown out by burning material or by friction

  Familiarity information: SPARK used as a noun is common.

• SPARK (verb)
  The verb SPARK has 2 senses:

1. put in motion or move to act

2. emit or produce sparks

  Familiarity information: SPARK used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPARK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A momentary flash of light

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

flicker; glint; spark

Hypernyms ("spark" is a kind of...):

flash (a sudden intense burst of radiant energy)

Derivation:

spark (emit or produce sparks)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

light; spark; sparkle; twinkle

Context example:

there's a perpetual twinkle in his eyes

Hypernyms ("spark" is a kind of...):

verve; vitality (an energetic style)

aspect; expression; face; facial expression; look (the feelings expressed on a person's face)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

arc; discharge; electric arc; electric discharge; spark

Hypernyms ("spark" is a kind of...):

electrical conduction (the passage of electricity through a conductor)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spark"):

brush discharge (discharge between electrodes creating visible streamers of ionized particles)

corona; corona discharge; corposant; electric glow; Saint Elmo's fire; Saint Elmo's light; Saint Ulmo's fire; Saint Ulmo's light; St. Elmo's fire (an electrical discharge accompanied by ionization of surrounding atmosphere)

flashover (an unintended electric discharge (as over or around an insulator))

Derivation:

spark (emit or produce sparks)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A small but noticeable trace of some quality that might become stronger

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Context example:

a spark of decency

Hypernyms ("spark" is a kind of...):

hint; suggestion; tint; trace (a just detectable amount)

Derivation:

spark (put in motion or move to act)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Scottish writer of satirical novels (born in 1918)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Dame Muriel Spark; Muriel Sarah Spark; Muriel Spark; Spark

Instance hypernyms:

author; writer (writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay))

Sense 6

Meaning:

A small fragment of a burning substance thrown out by burning material or by friction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("spark" is a kind of...):

fragment (a piece broken off or cut off of something else)

Derivation:

spark (emit or produce sparks)

• SPARK (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they spark    ... he / she / it sparks   
Past simple: sparked   
Past participle: sparked   
-ing form: sparking   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put in motion or move to act

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

activate; actuate; set off; spark; spark off; touch off; trigger; trigger off; trip

Context example:

actuate the circuits

Hypernyms (to "spark" is one way to...):

initiate; pioneer (take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of)

Cause:

come about; fall out; go on; hap; happen; occur; pass; pass off; take place (come to pass)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

spark (a small but noticeable trace of some quality that might become stronger)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Emit or produce sparks

Classified under:

Verbs of raining, snowing, thawing, thundering

Synonyms:

spark; sparkle

Context example:

A high tension wire, brought down by a storm, can continue to spark

Hypernyms (to "spark" is one way to...):

emit; give off; give out (give off, send forth, or discharge; as of light, heat, or radiation, vapor, etc.)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

spark (a momentary flash of light)

spark (a small fragment of a burning substance thrown out by burning material or by friction)

spark (electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field)

 Context examples 

One of the new people you will meet could spark an idea, and off you go.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

They crisped and crackled like electric sparks.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

And then by a return on his former subject, he conceived a spark of hope.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Thunderstorms that form at night, without a spark from the sun's heat, are a mysterious phenomenon.

(Scientists tackle mystery of thunderstorms that strike at night, NSF)

Is she gone, Watson? Is there a spark left? Surely we are not too late!

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I thought, maybe, two sparks were fightin’, and I took no partic’lar notice.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

According to the MAVEN data, solar particles that caused the "Christmas lights" penetrated deeply into the Martian atmosphere—sparking auroras less than 100 km from the surface.

(Auroras on Mars, NASA)

The fires, believed to have been sparked by lightning on Saturday, were fanned by dry, hot winds as temperatures reached 41 C (106 F) throughout Sunday.

(Australian Wildfires Destroy Homes, Kill Cattle as Hundreds of People Flee, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

I rubbed one of them on my sleeve, however, and it glowed afterwards like a spark in the dark hollow of my hand.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And dangerous he looked: his black eyes darted sparks.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)