tinder

noun

tin·​der ˈtin-dər 

1

: a very flammable substance adaptable for use as kindling

2

: something that serves to incite or inflame

… that rhetoric was ready tinder for revolution.

—Margaret Peters

Examples of tinder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Axvant really steps up in the art of fire-making after all that kindling and firewood has been piled up neatly atop the tinder bundle in the fire pit, ready to light. — New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2026

But every infected traveler is a spark, and in warm states the tinder is already there. — Andrés Henao, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026

In a forest in tinder-dry France, a massive wildfire outside the southwestern city of Bordeaux uncovered a cache of what is believed to be World War II-era ammunition. — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

That is, heavy winter rains and snowfalls that encourage abundant spring growth, only to be dried to tinder by the now-successive heatwaves baking southern Europe and the American Southwest. — John Vaillant, Time, 8 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English tynder; akin to Old High German zuntra tinder, Old English tendan to kindle

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tinder

• cinder
• hinder
• linder
• winder

Kids Definition

tinder

noun

tin·​der ˈtin-dər 

: a material that burns easily and can be used as kindling