as in darlings
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 burns
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 erupts
to develop suddenly and violently
my anger flamed when the usher told my friend to shut up
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in glows
to shine with a bright harsh light
the noonday sun flamed down on the desert travelers
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in gleams
to shoot forth bursts of light
the actress's ruby necklace flamed dazzlingly under the bright lights
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flames
Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Crews arrived on the scene and found the home fully engulfed in flames, with the mother and her six children trapped.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
The impact caused the Jeep Cherokee to veer out of control and crash into a nearby tree and fence before becoming engulfed in flames.
—Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
The exteriors of some buildings remained blackened from the flames, a reminder of the tragedy.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
Payton-Jones’ vehicle burst into flames, while the other vehicle flipped.
—Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
There have also been breakups and new flames found among the rest of the returning cast, including Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, and Maude Apatow.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 12 Apr. 2026
At one point, eight tower ladders surrounded the building, shooting water onto the inferno from all directions, limiting the flames from spreading to other buildings.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
Noun
Loss of valuables in the ruins The exteriors of some buildings remained blackened from the flames.
—Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Crews arrived on the scene and found the home fully engulfed in flames, with the mother and her six children trapped.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
The impact caused the Jeep Cherokee to veer out of control and crash into a nearby tree and fence before becoming engulfed in flames.
—Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
The exteriors of some buildings remained blackened from the flames, a reminder of the tragedy.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
Payton-Jones’ vehicle burst into flames, while the other vehicle flipped.
—Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
There have also been breakups and new flames found among the rest of the returning cast, including Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, and Maude Apatow.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 12 Apr. 2026
At one point, eight tower ladders surrounded the building, shooting water onto the inferno from all directions, limiting the flames from spreading to other buildings.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flames
Noun
-
Names like Allan Deberton, Rafhael Barbosa, Tiago Melo and Nara Normande have launched festival darlings and have exciting new projects in the pipeline.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Arsenal enters the match as the favorite, but Sporting has been resilient in the Champions League, rebounding from a 3-0 loss to tournament darlings Bodo/Glimt with a 5-0 thrashing in Lisbon.—
Pueng Vongs,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fire burns at the site of recycling materials following a Russian strike in Kyiv on Thursday.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
16 Apr. 2026
-
This indicates a hard-kill approach that burns and destroys components instead of relying on electronic disruption.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
What follows is a crescendo of bloody madness, including a gruesome toenail cutting scene that shouldn’t be viewed while eating, a grandma being eaten alive by a pack of coyotes and a truly bonkers wake that erupts into laugh-out-loud violence thanks to a pair of dentures.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Chaos erupts when a bank robbery hits an otherwise unassuming town, exposing secrets the mayor (Odenkirk's real-life friend Henry Winkler) and others have hidden from Ulysses.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sharon Stone glows in a white pantsuit and sunglasses for the premiere of Magnolia's Normal in Los Angeles on April 15.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Here are six simple additions to your routine that can transform dull, tired-looking skin into something that glows.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Like Beckham’s dress, the 100-percent silk dress softly gleams in the light.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Despite a couple of funky skips, the album is fueled by the hunger of an artist who really wants the pop life again, perking up electro-scuzz and arena rock with new wave that gleams like glitter.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
After the fatal crash, those who knew Lynnea and Luke, who were college sweethearts and small business owners, remembered the couple's legacy in their local community.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The two were high school sweethearts, Fields said.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Once Orion blazes through Earth's atmosphere, the protective heat shield will be cast off to make way for parachutes to deploy and slow the vehicle down.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Low toward the west blazes Venus, which serves as a convenient celestial landmark to make a sighting of Mercury, which will be hovering not far from it.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the original version, Sue just starts running away screaming because the head explodes.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
-
But this tranquility explodes when a shocking murder occurs, and a high-stakes investigation unfolds.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flames. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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