Phrase guide

spontaneous combustion

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Combustion without an external source of heat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: autocombustion

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

ignition of a substance (as oily rags) resulting from an internal oxidation process

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ignition

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 自燃 (zìrán) — combustion without a source of heat
  • Finnish: itsesyttyminen — combustion without a source of heat
  • German: Selbstentzündung — combustion without a source of heat
  • Greek: αυτανάφλεξη (aftanáflexi) — combustion without a source of heat
  • Polish: samozapłon — combustion without a source of heat
  • Portuguese: combustão espontânea — combustion without a source of heat
  • Romanian: combustie spontană — combustion without a source of heat
  • Romanian: autoaprindere — combustion without a source of heat
  • Romanian: autoaprins — combustion without a source of heat
  • Russian: самовозгора́ние (samovozgoránije) — combustion without a source of heat
  • Swedish: självantändning — combustion without a source of heat
  • Tagalog: kusang-liyab — combustion without a source of heat
  • Ukrainian: самозайма́ння (samozajmánnja) — combustion without a source of heat