enflame

verb

en·​flame

less common spelling of inflame

transitive verb

1
a
: to excite to excessive or uncontrollable action or feeling
especially : to make angry
b
: to make more heated or violent : intensify
insults served 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)

intransitive verb

1
: to burst into flame
2
: to become excited or angered
3
: to become affected with inflammation

Examples of enflame in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This is part of the GOP's plot to keep the rubes enflamed while the party continues to cut taxes for the billionaires and sets its sights on Social Security and Medicare. Randy Dotinga, Washington Post, 24 June 2023 Others laws have enflamed fears of censorship, too. Douglas Soule, USA TODAY, 17 May 2023 Asian American advocates and lawmakers had long warned rhetoric by political leaders including former President Donald Trump about COVID-19 could enflame discrimination against Asian Americans. Nicholas Wu, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2021 Lee’s death has further enflamed debate over public safety in San Francisco and its moribund downtown, which has not yet bounced back from the pandemic. Matt O'Brien, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2023 Lower rates would generate lower revenues in the short term for sure, and the curtailing of the exemptions would enflame classes of owners that have counted on and in many cases lobbied for their benefit. Brian Domitrovic, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2023 But when the whole country is a swing district, when every national election is a toss-up, the perpetually high stakes may enflame ideological passions and inspire constant go-for-broke rhetoric. D.j. Tice, Star Tribune, 26 June 2021 The decisions clear the Whitmer's campaign of formal wrongdoing on two hot-button political issues and are sure to enflame her GOP opponents. Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2021 The city’s move could enflame the national debate over voting rights, particularly among some who wrongly assert that rampant fraud by noncitizens has taken place in federal elections. Bobby Caina Calvan, chicagotribune.com, 10 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'enflame.' 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 enflame

Cite this Entry

“Enflame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enflame. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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