combust

com·bust  (km-bst)

v. com·bust·ed, com·bust·ing, com·busts

v.intr.

1.

a. To catch fire; burst into flame: The fire started when a pile of oily rags spontaneously combusted.

b. To undergo combustion; burn: As the fuels were combusting they gave off noxious vapors.

2. To become suddenly angry or agitated: The defendant combusted when he heard the verdict.

v.tr.

1. To cause to burn; ignite.

2. To cause to become angry or violent: riots that are combusting whole provinces.

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[Back-formation from combustion.]

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	combust - cause to burn or combust; "The sun burned off the fog"; "We combust coal and other fossil fuels" burn ignite, light - cause to start burning; subject to fire or great heat; "Great heat can ignite almost any dry matter"; "Light a cigarette" set ablaze, set afire, set aflame, set on fire - set fire to; cause to start burning; "Lightening set fire to the forest" catch fire, take fire, ignite, combust, conflagrate, erupt - start to burn or burst into flames; "Marsh gases ignited suddenly"; "The oily rags combusted spontaneously" char, coal - burn to charcoal; "Without a drenching rain, the forest fire will char everything"
	2.	combust - start to burn or burst into flames; "Marsh gases ignited suddenly"; "The oily rags combusted spontaneously" catch fire, take fire, ignite, conflagrate, erupt change state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election" blow out - erupt in an uncontrolled manner; "The oil well blew out" catch - start burning; "The fire caught" light up - start to burn with a bright flame; "The coal in the BBQ grill finally lit up" combust, burn - cause to burn or combust; "The sun burned off the fog"; "We combust coal and other fossil fuels"
	3.	combust - get very angry and fly into a rage; "The professor combusted when the student didn't know the answer to a very elementary question"; "Spam makes me go ballistic" flip one's lid, flip one's wig, fly off the handle, go ballistic, have a fit, have kittens, hit the ceiling, hit the roof, lose one's temper, throw a fit, blow a fuse, blow one's stack, blow up rage - feel intense anger; "Rage against the dying of the light!"
	4.	combust - cause to become violent or angry; "Riots combusted Pakistan after the U.S. air attacks on Afghanistan" anger - make angry; "The news angered him"
	5.	combust - undergo combustion; "Maple wood burns well" burn change state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election" burn down, burn up, go up - burn completely; be consumed or destroyed by fire; "The hut burned down"; "The mountain of paper went up in flames" smolder, smoulder - burn slowly and without a flame; "a smoldering fire" burn, burn down, fire - destroy by fire; "They burned the house and his diaries" scorch, sear, singe - become superficially burned; "my eyebrows singed when I bent over the flames" deflagrate - burn with great heat and intense light; "the powder deflagrated" flame - be in flames or aflame; "The sky seemed to flame in the Hawaiian sunset" blaze up, burn up, flame up, flare - burn brightly; "Every star seemed to flare with new intensity" blaze - burn brightly and intensely; "The summer sun alone can cause a pine to blaze"