ablaze

adjective or adverb

1
: being on fire
2
: radiant with light or emotion
his face all ablaze with excitementBram Stoker

Examples of ablaze in a Sentence

the entire block was ablaze by the time firefighters arrived that night the ballroom, ablaze with light, looked very different from the curtained room it usually was by day
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Dripping gasoline onto dry grass and deliberately setting it ablaze in the California countryside felt wildly reckless, especially for someone whose job involves interviewing survivors of the state’s all too frequent, catastrophic wildfires. Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025 Rioters set Waymo cabs ablaze in Los Angeles last night in the ongoing spasm of violence the last several days over federal immigration enforcement in the West Coast metropolis. The Editors, National Review, 9 June 2025 The theory caught fire, setting the meme world ablaze and eight years later proving to still have a little life left in it yet. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 8 May 2025 The internet is ablaze with criticism of the Millennial workout staple. Corey Buhay, Outside Online, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ablaze

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1676, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ablaze was circa 1676

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Cite this Entry

“Ablaze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ablaze. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

ablaze

adjective
1
: being on fire
2
: radiant with light or bright color

More from Merriam-Webster on ablaze

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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