tinder

/ˈtɪndə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈɪndɚ] /ˈtɪndər/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈɪndɚ] /ˈtin-dər How to pronounce tinder (audio)/ (ame, mw)

tinder — noun

1. any dry substance, such as wood shavings, dead leaves, or shredded paper, that c

1.名詞B2
釋義

any dry substance, such as wood shavings, dead leaves, or shredded paper, that catches fire very quickly and is used to ignite a larger fire

例句

Nora gathered dry leaves and small twigs to use as tinder for the campfire.

tinder + for + [purpose]

After a dry summer, the pine needles on the forest floor were like tinder.

like tinder (metaphorical use for extreme dryness)

同義詞
  • kindling

    refers to slightly larger sticks or wood pieces placed on tinder to build a fire; tinder catches fire first, kindling burns next

  • touchwood

    an older word for dried fungus or rotten wood used as tinder; now rare or historical in most contexts

文法句型

tinder + for + [a fire / the campfire]

as + tinder

dry as tinder

用法筆記

Often used in the phrases 'dry as tinder' and 'like tinder' to describe extremely dry conditions or material that catches fire very rapidly. The compound adjective 'tinder-dry' is also common (e.g., 'the forest was tinder-dry after the drought').

常見錯誤

The fine-grained fire-building distinction: 'tinder' refers to the finest, most easily ignited material (dry leaves, bark shavings, paper) that catches a spark first; 'kindling' refers to slightly larger sticks or wood pieces added once the tinder is burning. In everyday use, calling newspaper 'kindling' is perfectly natural — the two terms overlap in casual language.