spark plug

noun

1
: a part that fits into the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine and carries two electrodes separated by an air gap across which the current from the ignition system discharges to form the spark for combustion
2
: one that initiates or gives impetus to an undertaking
sparkplug transitive verb

Examples of spark plug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Only without the spark plugs. Ingredients of life After micro-lightnings started jumping between droplets in a mixture of gases similar to that used by Miller and Urey, the team examined their chemical composition with a mass spectrometer. Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025 Holt, Jordan’s spark plug, struggled to start hitting only one of seven shots in the first two quarters, including missing all three shots from beyond the arc. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Mar. 2025 Kayleigh Heckel has been a spark plug off the bench. Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2025 Then the spark plug ignites a local fire, producing enough gas to push the pressure past that threshold. IEEE Spectrum, 30 July 2018 See All Example Sentences for spark plug

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spark plug was in 1903

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Cite this Entry

“Spark plug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spark%20plug. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

spark plug

noun
1
: a device used in an engine to produce a spark that ignites a fuel mixture
2
: one that begins something or drives something forward

More from Merriam-Webster on spark plug

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