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
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
Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
President’s remarks fan flames of fury In some parallel universe — probably one where Kimi Antonelli doesn’t needlessly squeeze Piastri at the Senna S and the safety car restart chaos in the 2025 São Paulo GP doesn’t happen — Ferrari is reflecting on a pretty decent Interlagos weekend.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Basic blocks become spinning machine cogs or smoldering flames — sometimes even objects as confusingly hilarious as broccoli heads.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
At least six vehicles and three auto-rickshaws caught fire, Delhi's deputy fire chief said later, adding that the flames had been doused by firefighting teams.
—Shivam Patel, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
Trump has fanned the flames of inflation and passed out tax breaks to billionaires, betraying his promises to lower costs yet again.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Images obtained by local media show firefighters extinguishing massive flames, and photos of the aftermath show the factory's siding completely burned, leaving the interior of the building exposed.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
Popular opposition focused on those projects both endangering their resources and enriching the very companies that fan the flames of heating.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Video showed flames on the plane's left wing and a trail of smoke.
—Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
Wreaths of gray smoke and orange flames curled over a car in the capital, in a video of the aftermath.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
President’s remarks fan flames of fury In some parallel universe — probably one where Kimi Antonelli doesn’t needlessly squeeze Piastri at the Senna S and the safety car restart chaos in the 2025 São Paulo GP doesn’t happen — Ferrari is reflecting on a pretty decent Interlagos weekend.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Basic blocks become spinning machine cogs or smoldering flames — sometimes even objects as confusingly hilarious as broccoli heads.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025
At least six vehicles and three auto-rickshaws caught fire, Delhi's deputy fire chief said later, adding that the flames had been doused by firefighting teams.
—Shivam Patel, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
Trump has fanned the flames of inflation and passed out tax breaks to billionaires, betraying his promises to lower costs yet again.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Images obtained by local media show firefighters extinguishing massive flames, and photos of the aftermath show the factory's siding completely burned, leaving the interior of the building exposed.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
Popular opposition focused on those projects both endangering their resources and enriching the very companies that fan the flames of heating.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Video showed flames on the plane's left wing and a trail of smoke.
—Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flames
Noun
-
Kill your darlings, the advice for writers, takes on a whole new meaning here.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The Seminoles were 13-0, playoff darlings, swagger restored, the logo gleaming again like a championship promise.—
D’Joumbarey Moreau,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Saito burns about 7,000 calories per day and has lost 13 pounds so far.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Unlike conventional scramjets that rely on kerosene, SPARTAN burns hydrogen, producing zero carbon emissions while enabling reusable, low-maintenance hypersonic flight.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
These outbursts send radiation and charged particles hurling into space and can disrupt communications on Earth if the flare erupts from an Earth-facing sunspot.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The volcano is located on the eastern coast of Sicily and erupts almost continuously, according to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The business mogul glows in a golden gown and matching accessories.—
Brittany Talarico,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Dusted with snow and adorned with red berries and pine cones, each pre-lit tree glows with 130 warm white lights.—
Nora Colomer
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Airstream gleams absurdly against the ocherous land below.—
Rowan Jacobsen,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Patches of unintelligibility are nothing new in Pynchon, but usually a coherent world view gleams upward from the murk.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The high school sweethearts grew into a family of three over the years that includes their three children—Cordé, Cordell, and Cori Broadus.—
Essence,
Essence,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The influencer, 26, graduated from nursing school in August 2024, and soon after, the high school sweethearts bought a house in Michigan, ending the long-distance aspect of their relationship, Adams tells PEOPLE exclusively.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The record was created with Shellback and Max Martin in between shows on the career-spanning Eras Tour, which lit a fire in the singer-songwriter that blazes across each of its 12 tracks.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Last year, dry fall weather in Southern California played a role in fueling major fires, like the Eaton and Palisades blazes, only weeks before the state’s typical period of atmospheric river storm events.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Her scenes with Shannon as Garfield are lovely, but at another point in Death by Lightning, Gilpin's character explodes into a whole new gear, altering the course of history along the way.—
David Bianculli,
NPR,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Autumn is when the park really explodes in color.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flames. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share