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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of flames
Derek James, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Witness footage from inside the cabin showed sparks and flames trailing from beneath the wing as the jet climbed out.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Video showed flames on a large refinery tank with thick black smoke that was quickly extinguished.
—Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
What appeared to be footage from a security camera showed three figures in black wearing hoods carrying a canister toward one of the ambulances before flames erupted around the vehicle.
—Krutika Pathi, Arkansas Online, 24 Mar. 2026
Gas flares — huge 25-foot flames that are created when hydrocarbons (a by-product of oil extraction) are burned off into the atmosphere.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Neighbors called 911 and reported seeing flames coming through the roof.
—Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Unable to stop the fire, Slate placed a door in front of the room to hide the flames and smoke.
—Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
What appeared to be footage from a security camera showed three figures in black wearing hoods carrying a canister toward one of the ambulance before flames erupted around the vehicle.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
Gusty winds fueled a wildfire Saturday afternoon that brought flames, smoke and ash to the sunroom of Theresa Jorgensen's home in southwestern Minnesota.
—Derek James, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Witness footage from inside the cabin showed sparks and flames trailing from beneath the wing as the jet climbed out.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026
Video showed flames on a large refinery tank with thick black smoke that was quickly extinguished.
—Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
What appeared to be footage from a security camera showed three figures in black wearing hoods carrying a canister toward one of the ambulances before flames erupted around the vehicle.
—Krutika Pathi, Arkansas Online, 24 Mar. 2026
Gas flares — huge 25-foot flames that are created when hydrocarbons (a by-product of oil extraction) are burned off into the atmosphere.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Neighbors called 911 and reported seeing flames coming through the roof.
—Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Unable to stop the fire, Slate placed a door in front of the room to hide the flames and smoke.
—Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
What appeared to be footage from a security camera showed three figures in black wearing hoods carrying a canister toward one of the ambulance before flames erupted around the vehicle.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flames
Noun
-
Those making more bookish and insular styles of the genre, like the Magnetic Fields and Belle and Sebastian, weren’t being worshipped as critical darlings; in some cases their records hadn’t made it to America yet.—
David Glickman,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, avant-garde heavy rockers Deftones became unexpected TikTok darlings and arena stars.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For instance, walking at a brisk pace generally increases total energy expenditure and burns more calories per minute.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Chewing on the bulbs can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea, profuse drooling and burns to the mouth.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Controversy erupts at Yale as damning letter from legendary coach leaks.—
,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, conflict frequently erupts over social and political differences emerging from foundational values and identities.—
Eranda Jayawickreme,
The Conversation,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hundreds of monarch butterflies are painted across the translucent panels, and when sunlight shines through, the structure glows in rich amber tones.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
-
There’s a small LED indicator on the top of the device that pulses white when the sensor is ready for setup, briefly glows red when motion is detected, and briefly flashes green and blue during a reset.—
John R. Delaney,
PC Magazine,
1 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
-
Though Metayer Bowen and her husband had only been married for a few years, they were described by friends as high school sweethearts.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Another set of high school sweethearts, Kris and Jessica Bryant wed in their native Las Vegas in January 2017.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Jesse steps up on the mound and blazes the ball past him.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The main weapon that the Ukrainians had used to inflict this damage was the suicide drone, which costs about $400 to make and explodes on impact.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Characters will die and the entire lab sometimes explodes, only for things to snap back to normal in the very next episode.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flames. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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