blaze

1
[ bleyz ]
See synonyms for: blazeblazesblazing on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a bright flame or fire: the welcome blaze of the hearth.

  2. a bright, hot gleam or glow: the blaze of day.

  1. a sparkling brightness: a blaze of jewels.

  2. a sudden, intense outburst, as of fire, passion, or fury: to unleash a blaze of pent-up emotions; a blaze of glory.

  3. blazes, Informal. hell: Go to blazes!

verb (used without object),blazed, blaz·ing.
  1. to burn brightly (sometimes followed by away, up, forth): The bonfire blazed away for hours. The dry wood blazed up at the touch of a match.

  2. to shine like flame (sometimes followed by forth): Their faces blazed with enthusiasm.

  1. to burn with intense feeling or passion (sometimes followed by up): He blazed up at the insult.

  2. to shoot steadily or continuously (usually followed by away): The contestants blazed away at the clay pigeons.

  3. to be brilliantly conspicuous.

Origin of blaze

1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English blase, blease, blese “a flame, blaze,” Old English blase, blæse “torch, lamp”; cognate with Middle High German blas “torch,” German blass (adjective) “pale, whitish”

synonym study For blaze

1. See flame.

Words Nearby blaze

Other definitions for blaze (2 of 3)

blaze2
[ bleyz ]

noun
  1. a spot or mark made on a tree, as by painting or notching or by chipping away a piece of the bark, to indicate a trail or boundary.

  2. a white area down the center of the face of a horse, cow, etc.

verb (used with object),blazed, blaz·ing.
  1. to mark with blazes: to blaze a trail.

  2. to lead in forming or finding (a new method, course, etc.): His research in rocketry blazed the way for space travel.

Origin of blaze

2
First recorded in 1635–45; akin to Old Norse blesi, Dutch bles, German Blässe, all meaning “white mark on a beast's face,” and to German adjective blass “pale”; see blaze1

Other definitions for blaze (3 of 3)

blaze3
[ bleyz ]

verb (used with object),blazed, blaz·ing.
  1. to make known; proclaim; publish: Headlines blazed the shocking news.

  2. Obsolete. to blow, as from a trumpet.

Origin of blaze

3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English blasen “to blow (a horn), fan (fire), breathe (flames),” from Middle Dutch blasen “to blow (a horn)”; cognate with Old Norse blāsa “to blow (as wind, or with the mouth), blow a horn”; see also blast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use blaze in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for blaze (1 of 3)

blaze1

/ (bleɪz) /


noun
  1. a strong fire or flame

  2. a very bright light or glare

  1. an outburst (of passion, acclaim, patriotism, etc)

  2. brilliance; brightness

verb(intr)
  1. to burn fiercely

  2. to shine brightly

  1. (often foll by up) to become stirred, as with anger or excitement

  2. (usually foll by away) to shoot continuously

Origin of blaze

1
Old English blæse

British Dictionary definitions for blaze (2 of 3)

blaze2

/ (bleɪz) /


noun
  1. a mark, usually indicating a path, made on a tree, esp by chipping off the bark

  2. a light-coloured marking on the face of a domestic animal, esp a horse

verb(tr)
  1. to indicate or mark (a tree, path, etc) with a blaze

  2. blaze a trail to explore new territories, areas of knowledge, etc, in such a way that others can follow

Origin of blaze

2
C17: probably from Middle Low German bles white marking; compare blemish

British Dictionary definitions for blaze (3 of 3)

blaze3

/ (bleɪz) /


verb
  1. (tr often foll by abroad) to make widely known; proclaim

Origin of blaze

3
C14: from Middle Dutch blāsen, from Old High German blāsan; related to Old Norse blāsa

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with blaze

blaze

In addition to the idiom beginning with blaze

  • blaze a trail

also see:

  • hot as blazes
  • like greased lightning (blazes)

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.