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ablaze

American  
[uh-bleyz] / əˈbleɪz /

adjective

  1. burning; on fire.

    They set the logs ablaze.

  2. gleaming with bright lights, bold colors, etc.

  3. excited; eager; zealous; ardent.

  4. very angry.

ablaze British  
/ əˈbleɪz /

adjective

  1. on fire; burning

  2. brightly illuminated

  3. emotionally aroused

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ablaze

1800–10; a- 1 + blaze 1; compare Middle English on blase

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.

"In a matter of seconds, the entire ceiling was ablaze. Everything was made of wood," they said, adding that the flames "started to rise very quickly".

From BBC

"One of the candles was held too close to the ceiling, which caught fire. In a matter of seconds, the entire ceiling was ablaze. Everything was made of wood."

From BBC

But the fire had seemingly set the disease ablaze, and I could hide it no longer.

From Los Angeles Times

Australian police are investigating a "suspicious fire" after a car carrying a sign celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah was set ablaze Thursday in Melbourne.

From Barron's

But seeing her tree, and lane quietly ablaze with sparkling lights was making Brown smile.

From Los Angeles Times

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.