variants
or less commonly enflame
inflamed also enflamed; inflaming also enflaming
1
a
: to excite to excessive or uncontrollable action or feeling
especially
: to make angry
His speech inflamed the mob.
b
: to make more active, heated, or violent : intensify
inflame the imagination
insults serving 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)
1
: to burst into flame
2
: to become excited or angered
3
: to become affected with inflammation
inflamer
noun
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
In other words, alcohol disrupts hydration, irritates the gut, inflames blood vessels, messes with sleep, and forces your liver into metabolic overdrive.
—
Ciara Lucas, SELF, 30 Dec. 2025
When the body recognizes a viral intruder, lymphatic tissue in the back of the nose and throat swells and becomes inflamed, causing pain, the experts said.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
As diets high in sugar and fat bombard the duodenum, the lining there becomes inflamed and its normal signaling pathways distorted.
—Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Dec. 2025
Yet Hlavacik is also right, over the long term, about the many ways that culture wars inflame—and distort—educational politics.
—Jonathan Zimmerman, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflame
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Ciara Lucas, SELF, 30 Dec. 2025
When the body recognizes a viral intruder, lymphatic tissue in the back of the nose and throat swells and becomes inflamed, causing pain, the experts said.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
As diets high in sugar and fat bombard the duodenum, the lining there becomes inflamed and its normal signaling pathways distorted.
—Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Dec. 2025
Yet Hlavacik is also right, over the long term, about the many ways that culture wars inflame—and distort—educational politics.
—Jonathan Zimmerman, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inflame
Cite this Entry
“Inflame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inflame. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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Medical Definition
inflame
verb
in·flame
in-ˈflām 
inflamed; inflaming
: to cause inflammation in (bodily tissue)
inflame the sinuses
: to become affected with inflammation
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