1
as in burning
being on fire
the entire block was ablaze by the time firefighters arrived
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2
as in illuminated
filled with much light
that night the ballroom, ablaze with light, looked very different from the curtained room it usually was by day
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Recent Examples of ablaze
Last September, a former Marine fatally shot four people at a church north of Detroit and set it ablaze.
—
Corey Williams, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
The less-than-reassuring comments came hours after Iran launched fresh drone attacks that hit at least two oil tankers in the Gulf, setting the giant ships ablaze.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
Earlier, a projectile hit a Thai cargo ship off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, setting it ablaze.
—Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 2026
Tankers remain wary of sailing through the channel after Iran last week threatened to set vessels ablaze.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ablaze
Corey Williams, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
The less-than-reassuring comments came hours after Iran launched fresh drone attacks that hit at least two oil tankers in the Gulf, setting the giant ships ablaze.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
Earlier, a projectile hit a Thai cargo ship off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, setting it ablaze.
—Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 2026
Tankers remain wary of sailing through the channel after Iran last week threatened to set vessels ablaze.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ablaze
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ablaze
Adjective
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Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
13 Aug. 2025
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Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Our weeklong tester, a 2026 Escalade IQL Sport wrapped in Black Cherry Tint coat had a slew of standard features such as 22-inch wheels, Super Cruise autonomous driving, 55-inch curved display screen, heads up display, panoramic sunroof and illuminated grille to name a few.—
Marc D Grasso,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2026
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The top-line stereo system is packaged with a half-dozen options, including head-up display and various illuminated badges and other accoutrements.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Giants have had four since 2018, and general manager Schoen is on a blazing-hot seat.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Jan. 2026
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In nuclear thermal rockets, a small nuclear reactor heats up a propellant — often liquid hydrogen — to blazing temperatures in the thousands of degrees.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Lili Reinhart’s coldly overbearing Apple (with lucious, flaming red hair) is their ringleader, Alexandra Shipp’s Fig is a science genius who lost her personality in a swirl of people pleasing, and Victoria Pedretti’s mentally fragile Cherry is Apple’s resident punching bag and fixer-upper project.—
Jada Yuan,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2026
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The Duck Orange was a favorite and flaming Cherries Jubilee prepared at tableside.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Official statistics are hard to come by, but town residents — several of whom asked to be identified by only first names to protect their safety — estimated around 80 cars were set aflame in a municipality of just 20,000 people.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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But recent auction prices have not exactly set the market for his work aflame.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The bread is so light that the crunchy crust leads straight to the introductory blast of balsamic.—
Dominic Green,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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At sixty-five, Petzold, with light-hazel eyes and dark hair only just beginning to silver, still wields a boyish charisma.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This year, the rumors swirl, a constant, low hum: Outer Heaven and Cuatro Gato, two more flickering lights, are expected to fade.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
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But there’s more flickering contrast in Narayan van Maele’s lensing, which alternates dun realism with occasionally hyperreal lighting and composition, particularly when the pagan promise of fire is in the frame.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2022
Adjective
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Often called the Butterfly Nebula or the Bug Nebula, this object displays a striking structure involving two bright gas lobes extending in opposite directions, separated by a thick, dusty ring—known as a torus—around the central star.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
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Penny is a truly bright light in the classroom, bringing a genuine joy and curiosity to her daily practice.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ablaze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ablaze. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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