ablaze
Americanadjective
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burning; on fire.
They set the logs ablaze.
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gleaming with bright lights, bold colors, etc.
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excited; eager; zealous; ardent.
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very angry.
adjective
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on fire; burning
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brightly illuminated
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emotionally aroused
Etymology
Origin of ablaze
Explanation
Use the adjective ablaze to describe something that's on fire. Once your campfire is ablaze, you can toast marshmallows over it. If there's a terrible fire in your town, it might set many houses ablaze, and some people dispose of fallen leaves and branches by setting them ablaze in the yard. The word dates from the 14th century, and it combines the prefix a-, which here means "on," and blaze, or "flame," from the Old English blæse, "torch, flame, firebrand, or lamp."
Vocabulary lists containing ablaze
"Ode to the Table" by Pablo Neruda
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Towers Falling
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Let There Be Light: Synonyms for "Bright"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By the time he left, he was the viral Norseman who’d set the tournament ablaze, scoring seven goals in five matches at a faster clip than Lionel Messi.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Emergency Services were called to Gas Works Lane in Prestatyn, Flintshire, at about 23:30 BST on Sunday after reports of the van ablaze.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
When images from the set of Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” first leaked, they set the internet ablaze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
"The settlers' attack took place in full view of the Israeli army," Palestinian activist Osama Makhamra told AFP, noting that an Israeli military watchtower stands close to the mosque that was set ablaze.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
It blossoms, spreads, silently eating up the blackness until the entire frame is ablaze with a fire so real and intense, I imagine I feel the heat emanating from it.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
