en·flame
less common spelling of inflame
1
a
: to excite to excessive or uncontrollable action or feeling
especially
: to make angry
His speech inflamed the mob.
b
: to make more active, heated, or violent : intensify
inflame the imagination
insults serving only to inflame the feud
2
: to set on fire : kindle
3
: to cause to redden or grow hot from anger or excitement
a face inflamed with passion
4
: to cause inflammation in (bodily tissue)
1
: to burst into flame
2
: to become excited or angered
3
: to become affected with inflammation
variants
or less commonly enflame
inflamed also enflamed; inflaming also enflaming
1
a
: to excite to excessive or uncontrollable action or feeling
especially
: to make angry
His speech inflamed the mob.
b
: to make more active, heated, or violent : intensify
inflame the imagination
insults serving only to inflame the feud
2
: to set on fire : kindle
3
: to cause to redden or grow hot from anger or excitement
a face inflamed with passion
4
: to cause inflammation in (bodily tissue)
1
: to burst into flame
2
: to become excited or angered
3
: to become affected with inflammation
inflamer
noun
Examples of enflame in a Sentence
Verb (2)
His angry speech inflamed the mob.
ideas that inflame the imagination
His comments have inflamed an already tense situation.
inflaming the passions of the mob
a chemical that can inflame the skin
Recent Examples on the Web
Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Hollywood these days feels really fearful of enflaming conservative ire.
—David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
After exercise, your muscles become inflamed.
—Kirstyn Hill, Health, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for enflame
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
His advice was not taken by CPAC organizers, and such tensions were enflamed prominently.
—Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Hollywood these days feels really fearful of enflaming conservative ire.
—David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
The rationale was that any war Israel fought would inflame popular anti-Israeli sentiment in the Arab and Muslim world, scuttling the Abraham Accords as Arab governments would withdraw out of fear of backlash.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
After exercise, your muscles become inflamed.
—Kirstyn Hill, Health, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for enflame
Cite this Entry
“Enflame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enflame. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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