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

The drive to eliminate, or, at least overhaul, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has quickly become another of the political wedges dividing the country and inflaming hardcore partisans. — Mark Z. Barabak, latimes.com, "ICE heats up midterm debate over immigration," 8 July 2018 Nodules are large, firm and inflamed — but these do not contain pus. — Molly Nover-baker, Redbook, "How to Get Rid of Annoying Acne, So You Don't Have to Feel Like a Miserable Teenager," 27 Dec. 2016 The guidelines come out of the administration’s ongoing investigation into Chinese violations of American intellectual property and are likely to further inflame trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. — New York Times, "Court to Rule on Mandatory Union Fees, and U.S. May Restrict Chinese Investment," 24 June 2018 And the issue has been inflamed recently by the rape and murder of a 14-year-old German girl that authorities believe was carried out by an Iraqi asylum seeker. — CBS News, "Trump says crime in Germany is way up, but it's actually down," 18 June 2018 Trump is expected to impose tariffs on Chinese goods as soon as Friday or next week ... a move that is sure to further inflame tensions and spark almost immediate retaliation from Beijing. — Heather Long, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: The Fed will likely raise interest rates today. But will it weigh in on Trump's trade war?," 13 June 2018 In the same Saturday tweet, Trump also escalated his rhetoric on immigration in a way that is likely to further inflame the political atmosphere that will make any resolution of the issue even more elusive. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, "Trump whips up immigration storm over children," 29 May 2018 Then, the unbearable itchiness leads to scratching — and then that scratching then inflames the skin even more. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "10 Things You Should Always Do If You Have Eczema," 19 Mar. 2018 Although this is a long-standing rivalry in college basketball, there is no doubt it has been inflamed by the fact Xavier has never been to a Final Four and Butler has done so twice. — David Woods, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: Butler's upset bid falls short, but make no mistake — Xavier is for real," 6 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.