spark
( sparks plural & 3rd person present) ( sparking present participle) ( sparked past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A spark is a tiny bright piece of burning material that flies up from something that is burning.
The fire gradually got bigger and bigger. Sparks flew off in all directions.
2 n-count A spark is a flash of light caused by electricity. It often makes a loud sound.
He passed an electric spark through a mixture of gases.
3 verb If something sparks, sparks of fire or light come from it.
The wires were sparking above me... V
I stared into the flames of the fire as it sparked to life. V prep
4 verb If a burning object or electricity sparks a fire, it causes a fire.
(=start)
A dropped cigarette may have sparked the fire. V n
5 n-count A spark of a quality or feeling, especially a desirable one, is a small but noticeable amount of it.
N of n
His music lacked that vital spark of imagination...
6 verb If one thing sparks another, the first thing causes the second thing to start happening.
(=cause)
What was it that sparked your interest in motoring? V n
...a row sparked by a comment about his sister. V-ed
Spark off means the same as spark., phrasal verb
That incident sparked it off... V n P
His book, Animal Liberation, sparked off a revolution in the way we think about animals. V P n (not pron)
8 If sparks fly between people, they discuss something in an excited or angry way.
♦
sparks fly phrase V inflects
They are not afraid to tackle the issues or let the sparks fly when necessary. spark off
→
spark 6
Translation English - Cobuild Collins Dictionary
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"Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learners 4th edition published in 2003 © HarperCollins Publishers 1987, 1995, 2001, 2003 and Collins A-Z Thesaurus 1st edition first published in 1995 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995"