flame 1 of 2

noun

ˈflām How to pronounce flame (audio)
Definition of flamenext
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

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flame

2 of 2

verb

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

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2
as in to erupt
to develop suddenly and violently my anger flamed when the usher told my friend to shut up

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3
as in to burn
to shine with a bright harsh light the noonday sun flamed down on the desert travelers

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4
as in to gleam
to shoot forth bursts of light the actress's ruby necklace flamed dazzlingly under the bright lights

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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
Noun
Situated between Bilbao and San Sebastián, Etxebarri claims some of the world's most famous chefs as major fans of Bittor Arginzoniz, who matches the characteristics of the wood in the grill with the plants and proteins sizzling over the flames. — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026 But a burning rage and hunger for vengeance awakens in the flames. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026
Verb
Meanwhile, a user named dedsheeran captioned a video of a flaming car accident with links to several organizations providing aid in Palestine, including Gaza Soup Kitchen, UNRWA, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and Doctors Without Borders. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026 The storefront, gaping and charred, looked like someone had taken a bulldozer and pushed flaming cars inside. — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flame
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flame
  1. sweetheart
  2. glow
  3. erupt
  4. burn
  5. gleam
  6. darling
  7. blaze
  8. explode
Noun
  • Companies that took money from the president’s family or got sweetheart government contracts are going to face real scrutiny.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Goebbels interviewed Wessel’s grieving mother and wrote of Jaenichen and Wessel as childhood sweethearts, as though their story was from romance fiction.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of sweetheart
Verb
  • What's particularly interesting and endearing about this feature is that while previous implementations of the glowing logo relied on an existing screen backlight, OLED panels (which use self-emitting pixels) need no backlight.
    — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Russian media outlets later reported a blaze at Ryazan oil refinery, sharing pictures of plumes of smoke and the night sky glowing red.
    — Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of glow
Verb
  • And then the spontaneous cheers and shouts erupted as the aircraft, full of returning troops, lifted off the South Vietnam air strip.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
  • These were majestic art objects but in the hands of skilled puppeteers, the Sicilian marionettes shows could also erupt into wild, raw, bloodthirsty warfare.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of erupt
Verb
  • Pike, 50, survived two doses of pentobarbital in September, which her attorneys say probably did not enter her bloodstream correctly and instead pooled in her arms, leaving them burned and blistered.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • From waste to carbon Waste incineration plants produce CO2 while burning residual waste in order to generate electricity.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of burn
Verb
  • Spread out across expansive work stations that resemble gleaming kitchen cubicles, chefs spend their days whipping up meals from soup to nuts, a laboratory of sorts to create appetizing and easy dinners to make at home.
    — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Spotting the lights less than a mile from his home, Wittlin turned onto a side street and pulled his gleaming red Pontiac Firebird over.
    — Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of gleam
Noun
  • Meta isn't exactly a Wall Street darling at the moment either, as the stock fell 14% in October for its worst month since October 2022.
    — Ari Levy, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Once a darling of the city’s liberal elite, the Los Angeles mayor is facing a challenge from a younger progressive who has friends of her own in the entertainment industry.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of darling
Verb
  • Everyone's welcome to do nothing but sit here and watch the blazing postcard-perfect sunsets.
    — Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Yet today, a market woman standing on black asphalt in the blazing sun may have an insurance policy which has a trigger determined by a weather station 50 kilometers away.
    — Simmone Shah, Time, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of blaze
Verb
  • Corn was king long before Zellwood exploded into commercial prosperity in the 1940s.
    — Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The minute Jontay took himself out of the game, a digital dye pack exploded all over their cash.
    — New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of explode

Phrases Containing flame

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flamboyantly
flame
flamed
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Cite this Entry

“Flame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flame. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flame

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