flame

American  

[fleym] / fleɪm /

noun

• flames
  plural

1. burning gas or vapor, as from wood or coal, that is undergoing combustion; a portion of ignited gas or vapor.

   Synonyms:

   fire

2. Often flames the state or condition of blazing combustion.

   to burst into flames.

3. any flamelike condition; glow; inflamed condition.

4. brilliant light; scintillating luster.

5. bright coloring; a streak or patch of color.

6. flame color.

7. intense ardor, zeal, or passion.

8. Informal. an object of one's passionate love; sweetheart.

   He's taking out his new flame tonight.

9. Computer Slang. an angry, critical, or disparaging electronic message, as an online comment.

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verb (used without object)

• flames,
  present (3rd person singular)
• flamed,
  past participle,  past
• flaming
  present participle

1. to burn with a flame or flames; burst into flames; blaze.

2. to glow like flame; shine brilliantly; flash.

3. to burn or burst forth with strong emotion; break into open anger, indignation, etc.

4. Computer Slang. to post an angry, critical, or disparaging electronic message, as an online comment.

verb (used with object)

• flames,
  present (3rd person singular)
• flamed,
  past participle,  past
• flaming
  present participle

1. to subject to the action of flame or fire.

2. to flambé.

3. Computer Slang. to insult or criticize angrily in an online post or comment.

verb phrase

1. flame out

   1. (of a jet engine) to cease to function due to an interruption of the fuel supply or to faulty combustion.

   2. to burst out in or as if in flames.

flame British  

/ fleɪm /

noun

1. a hot usually luminous body of burning gas often containing small incandescent particles, typically emanating in flickering streams from burning material or produced by a jet of ignited gas

2. (often plural) the state or condition of burning with flames

   to burst into flames

3. a brilliant light; fiery glow

4. 1. a strong reddish-orange colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a flame carpet

5. intense passion or ardour; burning emotion

6. informal a lover or sweetheart (esp in the phrase an old flame )

7. informal an abusive message sent by electronic mail, esp to express anger or criticism of an internet user

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verb

1. to burn or cause to burn brightly; give off or cause to give off flame

2. (intr) to burn or glow as if with fire; become red or fiery

   his face flamed with anger

3. (intr) to show great emotion; become angry or excited

4. (tr) to apply a flame to (something)

5. archaic (tr) to set on fire, either physically or with emotion

6. informal to send an abusive message by electronic mail

flame Scientific  

/ flām /

1. The hot, glowing mixture of burning gases and tiny particles that arises from combustion. Flames get their light either from the fluorescence of molecules or ions that have become excited, or from the incandescence of solid particles involved in the combustion process, such as the carbon particles from a candle.

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flame Idioms  

1. see add fuel to the fire (flames); burst into (flames); fan the flames; go up in flames; shoot down (in flames).

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Synonym Usage

Flame, blaze, conflagration refer to the light and heat given off by combustion. Flame is the common word, referring to a combustion of any size: the light of a match flame. Blaze usually denotes a quick, hot, bright, and comparatively large flame: The fire burst into a blaze. Conflagration refers to destructive flames which spread over a considerable area: A conflagration destroyed Chicago.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• flamelet
  noun
• flamer
  noun
• underflame
  noun
• outflame
  verb (used with object)
• flameless
  adjective
• flamelike
  adjective
• flamy
  adjective
• preflame
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• flames
  plural

Participles

• flaming
  present
• flamed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• flame
  simple
• flames
  simple
• have flamed
  perfect
• has flamed
  perfect
• am flaming
  progressive
• are flaming
  progressive
• is flaming
  progressive
• have been flaming
  perfect progressive
• has been flaming
  perfect progressive

Past

• flamed
  simple
• had flamed
  perfect
• was flaming
  progressive
• were flaming
  progressive
• had been flaming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will flame
  simple
• will have flamed
  perfect
• will be flaming
  progressive
• will have been flaming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of flame

First recorded in 1300–50; (noun) Middle English flaume, from Anglo-French, variant of flaumbe; Old French flambe, earlier flamble, from Latin flammula, diminutive of flamma “flame” ( see -ule); (verb) Middle English flaumen, from Anglo-French flaum(b)er; Old French flamber, from Latin flammāre, derivative of flamma

Explanation

The flame of a fire produces light and heat and often flickers or dances. As a verb, to flame is to be on fire or to flare up. On the Internet, flame has a different meaning: to post or send aggressive, negative, or insulting messages in a public electronic forum. "Flame wars" are exchanges of such messages between individuals or parties and often occur behind a veil of anonymity. It's an appropriate term, given that inflammatory, which takes flame as its root, describes speech or action that tends to incite a heightened and negative response.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flame flames flamed flaming

"Rumours, messages and groups that caused this crisis" mainly appeared on Facebook and WhatsApp, said Madrigal, although it was impossible to determine "who or what ignited the flame".

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

And despite national dread over whether the team would flame out of the tournament, players could sense that Pochettino’s tactics would come together.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

More than 100 firefighters, dozens of fire engines and at least seven aircraft are trying to contain the fire, reportedly facing a wall of flame some 5km long and still spreading.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

On the corner of another table, the flame from a candle flickers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Akira cried, and as she looked up, she saw the first tongues of orange flame licking the trees along the road.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Around her stood people in T-shirts with the same illustration featured on the church’s bulletin that week: a phoenix representing Boyle Heights rising from the flames of a hellish warehouse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

He then erupts in flames twice his height, dark smoke billowing.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Minutes later, Lobga was in flames outside the U.N., near a Tibetan flag attached to a green pole.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

According to news reports, flames destroyed homes, restaurants, campgrounds, marinas, and other facilities around the reservoirs.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

Dodger could still see the flames ahead of them with his blinders on, but his focus was on the flat dirt path that created a narrow firebreak through the burning woods.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

The 1988 presidential campaign of Alexander Haig, a former four-star general who served as Ronald Reagan’s first secretary of state, flamed out amid GOP infighting over the Iran–Contra affair.

From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026

His teams were good enough to earn No. 1 or No. 2 seeds, but flamed out before the Elite Eight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

Doubts about a Fed rate cut next month were also flamed by the release of much-delayed September jobs data.

From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025

After debuting his plan in the 2005 State of the Union address, he barnstormed the country in support of it — and the idea flamed out like a SpaceX rocket.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2025

Autumn came; the trees flamed scarlet and yellow; the harvest moon was gold.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

A woman testified that she saw Stout get out of the flaming car and push it over the dirt mound, where it rolled down the embankment and ignited the dry vegetation at the bottom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

International fans who have lived with this flaming dumpster of technology have to chuckle at a Jason-come-lately discovering the bane of their existence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The sky blacked by the smoke from flaming vehicles was visible from Saunders's suite in a luxury hotel along Puerto Vallarta's main strip.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

Air traffic control’s communications came alive with surprised pilots who saw the accident, some of whom took photos and shot videos of the flaming streaks in the sky:

From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2026

Part of a desk crashed to the ground twenty yards away, on fire, as more and more flaming debris fell from above.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

Related Words

• blaze
• conflagration
• flare
• flash
• light
• spark
• wildfire