1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

flames 1 of 2

noun

plural of flame
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

flames

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of flame
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

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 flames
Noun
Instead of calling for calm and letting the justice system work, too many political leaders on the left and progressive social influencers either fanned the flames of unrest or failed to act until enormous damage was done. — Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026 Deputies at times exchanged fire with Spencer from distances of roughly 27 to 30 feet while flames burned through the surrounding forest. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026 For renters, parents of small kids, pet owners and anyone in a home where open flames are impractical, that trade-off has turned a novelty gadget into a category regulars restock every year. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026 But the point of this incantation isn’t only to fan the flames of women’s terror. — Eleanor Johnson, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 Our conversation danced like the flames, and sparks flew (literally and metaphorically) as Quinn cut and hammered iron. — Sarah Wood González, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2026 His team of five engines joined just a few others that had been battling the blaze alone for hours, as its flames rapidly spread. — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026 The video, which was captured from The Mark on Brickell Bay, a nearby condo building, showed one of the cars in flames and a plume of black smoke. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026 Ever since, the two teams have swapped victories each season, with Kiffin stoking the flames. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flames
  1. darlings
  2. burns
  3. erupts
  4. glows
  5. gleams
  6. sweethearts
  7. blazes
  8. explodes
Noun
  • This was hailed as a victory for all software-as-a-service companies, which were emerging as industry darlings.
    — Srinivas Velamoor, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Lens, Heart of Midlothian and Thun were media darlings last season making bold runs at their first league titles for many decades.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of darlings
Verb
  • One burns the only copy of her sister’s precious handwritten manuscript; at least two others set houses on fire, one while her unsuspecting parents are still asleep inside.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Saha suffered 60% burns all over her body and remains in critical condition at a hospital, according to The Telegraph India and The Hindu.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of burns
Verb
  • During surveillance, Joe recognizes one of the men involved in her abduction, setting off an operation that erupts into a deadly restaurant shootout.
    — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026
  • More news Another battery fire erupts at Moss Landing in Northern California, where some units are still charged.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of erupts
Verb
  • The tool relies on a soluble liquid substitute that glows during the reaction, reducing measurement times to minutes and enabling rapid evaluation of large libraries of enzyme variants.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The number 10 alludes to Yom Kippur, which falls on the 10th day of Tishrei, when the moon glows brighter.
    — Ben Corn, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of glows
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
Definition of gleams
Noun
  • The family soon moved to Kentucky, where Kingsolver’s parents, high-school sweethearts, had been born and raised, and settled in the small town of Carlisle, where another daughter was born.
    — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Lois and Billy were childhood sweethearts and had been in a relationship since the age of 16.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of sweethearts
Verb
  • As the flames approached the community in July, the majority of the village’s 3,500 residents were forced to flee their homes, as hundreds of firefighters were deployed to tackle blazes more violent and unpredictable than in previous years.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Calmer winds and cooler temperatures assisted fire crews in their battle against the Spokane blazes Monday, but temperature are anticipated to climb back into the 90s by Wednesday and continue to push firefighters to their limits.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of blazes
Verb
  • Once the mook is within blasting range, Reacher explodes the tank with a bullet — making both the man and the floor as holey as Swiss cheese.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Control Resonant, the sequel, takes most of that game’s gorgeous visual language and explodes it all over an open-world New York City, to mesmerizing results.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of explodes

Phrases Containing flames

Browse Nearby Words

flamers
flames
flames out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flames. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All