Combust – destroy by fire

(Pronounced kuhm-bust)

To remember the definition of the word combust, use the following mnemonic:

It was a competition to see who could bust (combust) up the wheat the most, the wind, the water or the fire. There was a clear winner – the fire destroyed it!

Examples of combust in a sentence

You were advised not to leave the aerosol in the sunlight else it could spontaneously combust.

He looked around the forest for things that would easily combust in order to start a campfire.

He was so angry he looked as though he could combust at any minute.