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

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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

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

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

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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
On the other is a relief depiction of a Kremlin in flames, with a drone flying over it. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 Modesto Fire Department The fire department said six engines and two trucks were among the units responding to the fire at the single-story structure, which had flames coming out of the roof. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 Murphy and her family lost their home and all their belongings to the flames. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2026 Patrick Gotwalt was a passenger on the flight and recorded a video showing flames coming from the engine as the flight appears to be flying over water. — Amanda Jackson, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flames
  1. darlings
  2. burns
  3. erupts
  4. glows
  5. gleams
  6. sweethearts
  7. blazes
  8. explodes
Noun
  • In a nervous market full of geopolitical tension, IPOs have attracted a lot of investor attention, with AI darlings Anthropic and OpenAI preparing for their own debuts.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
  • BookTok books becoming movies or TV shows Keep an eye on these BookTok darlings, some of which have release dates while others are in early stages of development.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of darlings
Verb
  • And the Diderot-Baudelaire-Fried tree abides even as the forest burns mutely round it, match lit by Elon Musk and company.
    — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Besides losing parts of her fingers on her left hand, the child suffered a cut to her right hand and burns to her left hand and left arm, prosecutors said.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of burns
Verb
  • Brouhaha erupts Martin was ejected in the third inning Thursday after throwing two pitches at the head of Reds first baseman Sal Stewart, who had homered in the first inning.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • If Yellowstone erupts again, the most probable outcome is not a continent-spanning explosion.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of erupts
Verb
  • Another light show game is the Black Light Tumble Tower that glows in the dark.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • In a laboratory 2 kilometers underground, a crane lowers Matt Depatie, a detector technologist, through a hatch into a white-walled cavern filled with about 7,000 tons of ultrapure water that glows as blue as wiper fluid in the light.
    — James Dinneen, Quanta Magazine, 7 Aug. 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
  • Dream To You — Viki/Viu Hyeri and Hwang In-yeop star in this ongoing rom-com where high school sweethearts reunite as a struggling journalist and accomplished film director in their thirties.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The high school sweethearts split after nearly a decade together.
    — Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 23 July 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
  • The accusation rumbles, then explodes locally, drawing in authorities and prompting an investigation.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Most is in the form of subatomic particles called neutrinos, which carry little energy individually but are generated in vast numbers when a star explodes.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of explodes

Phrases Containing flames

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flamers
flames
flames out
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Cite this Entry

“Flames.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flames. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on flames

Nglish: Translation of flames for Spanish Speakers

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