1
a
: an intensely burning fire
b
: intense direct light often accompanied by heat
the blaze of TV lights
c
: an active burning
especially
: a sudden bursting forth of flame
2
: something that resembles the blaze of a fire: such as
a
: a dazzling display
a blaze of color
b
: a sudden outburst
a blaze of fury
went down in a blaze of glory
c
blazed; blazing
1
a
: a usually white stripe down the center of the face of an animal
b
: a white or gray streak in the hair of the head
2
: a trail marker
especially
: a mark made on a tree by chipping off a piece of the bark
blazed; blazing
1
: to mark (a trail) with blazes (see blaze entry 4 sense 2)
2
: to lead in some direction or activity
blaze new trails in education
Synonyms
Examples of blaze in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Many earn minimum wage and struggle to find safe, affordable places to live, even after working in fields around the state through blazing heat and wildfire smoke.
—Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
The first Black women to serve in the Florida legislature, Cherry blazed a path for all women – Black or white – in politics.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Virginia wildfire map:See where fires are blazing as some areas deal with road closures
Wildfires broke out in Virginia, West Virginia and parts of Maryland
Wildfires broke out in northern and northwestern Virginia Wednesday.
—USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024
The wildfire — the deadliest in Chile’s history, killing 134 people and destroying thousands of homes — blazed out of control almost from the start, fueled by extreme climate conditions, high winds and flammable trees.
—John Bartlett, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Lee seemingly lives the history with every fibre of his being, and his meticulous yet florid mid-century reconstructions blaze with the power of spiritual devotion and righteous fervor along with their sheer dramatic energy.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
By the end of the ‘70s, a disco inferno was blazing.
—Tracy Kawalik, SPIN, 5 Mar. 2024
Scott has blazing speed, and can impact a game on both offense and defense.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
The two deputies, unable to carry the woman, who is unable to walk on her own, had to drag her out of the house as the blaze spread.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
The blaze started during renovations at the site, which is located underground, says Anadolu, the Turkish news state agency.
—Tanem Zaman and Hande Atay Alam, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
The blaze sent the wooden buildings to the riverbed below.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Dozens of firefighters from multiple locations responded after the fire was reported at the intersection of West Eagle and Meridian streets at around 5 a.m. Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke told reporters the blaze spread from the housing unit to two neighboring structures.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
The blaze was so big it could be seen from Bogus Basin, said Whitney Springston, Idaho Youth Ranch’s marketing director.
—Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 2 Apr. 2024
On top of those concerns, Steinberg said fire departments are concerned about their ability to safely fight the large, dangerous blazes, especially in situations like Texas when several large wildfires all pop up in the same region at the same time.
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Video of the scene showed blazes and a huge column of smoke emerging from the building’s bottom floor, leaving charred what could be seen of its facade.
—Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
Even in late winter, the garden is blazing with color and, as Cullen planned strategically, when those fade, others will bloom.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Many earn minimum wage and struggle to find safe, affordable places to live, even after working in fields around the state through blazing heat and wildfire smoke.
—Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
The first Black women to serve in the Florida legislature, Cherry blazed a path for all women – Black or white – in politics.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Virginia wildfire map:See where fires are blazing as some areas deal with road closures
Wildfires broke out in Virginia, West Virginia and parts of Maryland
Wildfires broke out in northern and northwestern Virginia Wednesday.
—USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024
The wildfire — the deadliest in Chile’s history, killing 134 people and destroying thousands of homes — blazed out of control almost from the start, fueled by extreme climate conditions, high winds and flammable trees.
—John Bartlett, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Lee seemingly lives the history with every fibre of his being, and his meticulous yet florid mid-century reconstructions blaze with the power of spiritual devotion and righteous fervor along with their sheer dramatic energy.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
By the end of the ‘70s, a disco inferno was blazing.
—Tracy Kawalik, SPIN, 5 Mar. 2024
Scott has blazing speed, and can impact a game on both offense and defense.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
Spreading quickly and uncontrollably, the catastrophic blaze raged for four days.
—Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
The two deputies, unable to carry the woman, who is unable to walk on her own, had to drag her out of the house as the blaze spread.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
The blaze started during renovations at the site, which is located underground, says Anadolu, the Turkish news state agency.
—Tanem Zaman and Hande Atay Alam, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
The blaze sent the wooden buildings to the riverbed below.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Dozens of firefighters from multiple locations responded after the fire was reported at the intersection of West Eagle and Meridian streets at around 5 a.m. Boston Fire Commissioner Paul Burke told reporters the blaze spread from the housing unit to two neighboring structures.
—Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
The blaze was so big it could be seen from Bogus Basin, said Whitney Springston, Idaho Youth Ranch’s marketing director.
—Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 2 Apr. 2024
On top of those concerns, Steinberg said fire departments are concerned about their ability to safely fight the large, dangerous blazes, especially in situations like Texas when several large wildfires all pop up in the same region at the same time.
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Video of the scene showed blazes and a huge column of smoke emerging from the building’s bottom floor, leaving charred what could be seen of its facade.
—Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blaze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near blaze
Cite this Entry
“Blaze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blaze. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blaze
1 of 5 noun1
: a very strongly burning fire
2
: very bright direct light often accompanied by heat
the blaze of TV lights
3
: a sudden outburst
a blaze of flame
a blaze of fury
4
: a dazzling display
a blaze of autumn leaves
blaze
2 of 5 verb
blazed; blazing
1
a
: to burn brightly
b
: to flare up : flame
2
: to be noticeably brilliant
fields blazing with flowers
3
: to shoot rapidly and repeatedly
blaze
4 of 5 noun1
: a long white mark down the center of the face of an animal
2
: a mark made on a tree usually to leave a trail
blaze
5 of 5 verb
blazed; blazing
: to mark with blazes
blaze a trail
Etymology
Noun
Old English blæse "torch"
Verb
Middle English blasen "to make public," from early Dutch blāsen "to blow"
Noun
perhaps from Dutch or Low German bles "a white mark on an animal"
Medical Definition
blaze
noun
: a white or gray streak in the hair of the head
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