as in sweetheart
a person with whom one is in love
decided to look up an old flame while she was in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to glow
to be on fire especially brightly
guests gathered around as the Yule log flamed brightly in the inn's great stone fireplace
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to erupt
to develop suddenly and violently
my anger flamed when the usher told my friend to shut up
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
4
as in to gleam
to shoot forth bursts of light
the actress's ruby necklace flamed dazzlingly under the bright lights
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flame
Christian Martinez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2025
And barring an improbable turn of events, the Celtics’ repeat title hopes are all but up in flames.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
Comments Danny McBride, do not step on that flaming bag on your doorstep.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flame
Noun
The vehicle stopped on its roof, trapping the driver inside, then became engulfed in flames, the CHP said.
—Christian Martinez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2025
And barring an improbable turn of events, the Celtics’ repeat title hopes are all but up in flames.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
Verb
Much like The Game Kitchen’s Blasphemous (2019) and Blasphemous 2 (2023), the pixel art utilized here is highly detailed, rendering backgrounds with depth like the flaming ruins of the Hayabusa clan’s village or cityscapes surrounded by rivers of blood.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
Comments Danny McBride, do not step on that flaming bag on your doorstep.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flame
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flame
Noun
-
People are rooting for the childhood sweetheart love story.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2025
-
His high school sweetheart and wife of 67 years, Marilyn, died in 2021 of ALS at age 87.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
This pageant of puppetry includes a flutter of butterflies, a goat with a plaintive bleat, a menagerie of wild animals and, at one point, a school of glowing fish.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2025
-
They can be dusted lightly for a barely-there glow or layered for vibrant drama.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
8 May 2025
Verb
-
In a must-win situation Friday night, the St. Louis Blues erupted for four goals in the second period and won 5-2 over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 6.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
-
Kyiv Trump had earlier framed any deal as a way for Kyiv to repay U.S. military aid and President Volodymyr Zelensky was expected to sign a deal in Washington in February before it was shelved after a spat erupted between the presidents in the White House.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
Verb
-
The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2023
-
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.—
Neeti Mehra,
Treehugger,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
-
The publication’s mascot, Eustace Tilley, is, after all, defined by accessories: his gleaming top hat, crisp white gloves, and dandyish monocle are all totems of both persnickety good taste and the febrile effort behind chasing it.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
4 May 2025
-
En route from the gleaming airport terminal to our hotel in Lhasa, the nearly empty freeway and unoccupied high-rise apartments spoke to China’s massive investments in developing infrastructure in Tibet.—
Steven Jiang,
CNN Money,
1 May 2025
Noun
-
Ten-time Grammy nom Monáe, an equally impressive singer-songwriter who has become a fashion industry darling, follows in Jones’ footsteps with her own fervent fan base.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2025
-
Charlotte’s newest fine-dining darling is Albertine, with impressive food and service.—
Amber Gibson,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2025
Verb
-
The unstoppable Baeza had steamed away strongly from the peloton of sixteen runners swimming in the mud behind him and was blazing up on the outside, deep in a furious bid to run Journalism down.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
-
Despite there already being two musical iterations of the story, West Side Story and & Juliet, the duo wasn't afraid to blaze a new trail.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
1 May 2025
Verb
-
During the two most recent Starship launches, the vehicle's upper stage exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, showering chunks of debris across a wide stretch and creating a artificial meteor shower for people across The Bahamas and Florida's Space Coast.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
8 May 2025
-
The comments exploded with anecdotes from other women in fields who have similarly faced being misidentified or overlooked due to longstanding stereotypes.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flame. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share