inflame

verb

in·flame | \in-ˈflām

variants: or less commonly enflame

inflamed also enflamed; inflaming also enflaming

Definition of inflame

transitive verb

1a : 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

Other Words from inflame Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about inflame

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Examples of inflame in a Sentence

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

For both parties, persuasion was out and inflaming the base was in. — Karl Rove, WSJ, "Both Parties Win—and Lose," 7 Nov. 2018 In that case, gulping a bunch of cold air (or running into some other asthma trigger) can make your airways inflamed and narrow, über-mucous-y, and also make the muscles around them constrict, the NHLBI explains. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Here’s Why It Hurts So Much to Breathe Cold Air," 19 Oct. 2018 Facebook's justification for removing problematic accounts—using duplicate profiles, artificially boosting metrics, inflaming political tension to fatten ad revenue—is a tactful one. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Facebook's Fake News Problem Isn't Russian Anymore—It's Homegrown," 12 Oct. 2018 According to the National Cancer Institute, the cancer accounts for 1 to 5 percent of all breast cancers in the U.S., and leaves patients with a swollen and red, or inflamed breast. — Alexandria Hein, Fox News, "Teen chooses homeschooling to help paralyzed mom diagnosed with 2 cancers," 27 Aug. 2018 The question now is if the plane’s downing will further inflame tensions. — Alex Ward, Vox, "Israel just shot down a Syrian fighter jet," 24 July 2018 President Trump has intervened in one of the most sensitive political battles in the American West, pardoning two Oregon ranchers whose imprisonment inflamed a protest movement against the government’s management of federal land. — Matt Pearce, latimes.com, "With two pardons, Trump wins goodwill in the ranching world," 11 July 2018 Ozone pollution can aggravate a host of physical problems by triggering coughing, inflaming the airways and lungs and bringing on asthma attacks. — Anne Saker, Cincinnati.com, "The reason Cincy's air is bad? It's summertime, and the ozone is baking," 18 June 2018 There were too many men shipped to the plantations and not enough women, continuing to inflame this struggle over access to women. — Longreads, "Kara Walker’s Subtlety," 28 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inflame.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.