blaze
1 Americannoun
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a bright flame or fire.
the welcome blaze of the hearth.
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a bright, hot gleam or glow.
the blaze of day.
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a sparkling brightness.
a blaze of jewels.
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a sudden, intense outburst, as of fire, passion, or fury.
to unleash a blaze of pent-up emotions; a blaze of glory.
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Informal. blazes, hell.
Go to blazes!
verb (used without object)
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to burn brightly (sometimes followed byaway, up, forth ).
The bonfire blazed away for hours. The dry wood blazed up at the touch of a match.
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to shine like flame (sometimes followed byforth ).
Their faces blazed with enthusiasm.
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to burn with intense feeling or passion (sometimes followed byup ).
He blazed up at the insult.
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to shoot steadily or continuously (usually followed byaway ).
The contestants blazed away at the clay pigeons.
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to be brilliantly conspicuous.
noun
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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.
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a white area down the center of the face of a horse, cow, etc.
verb (used with object)
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to mark with blazes.
to blaze a trail.
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to lead in forming or finding (a new method, course, etc.).
His research in rocketry blazed the way for space travel.
noun
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a strong fire or flame
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a very bright light or glare
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an outburst (of passion, acclaim, patriotism, etc)
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brilliance; brightness
verb
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to burn fiercely
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to shine brightly
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(often foll by up) to become stirred, as with anger or excitement
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(usually foll by away) to shoot continuously
noun
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a mark, usually indicating a path, made on a tree, esp by chipping off the bark
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a light-coloured marking on the face of a domestic animal, esp a horse
verb
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to indicate or mark (a tree, path, etc) with a blaze
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to explore new territories, areas of knowledge, etc, in such a way that others can follow
verb
Usage
What does blaze mean? A blaze is a bright flame or large fire, characterized as being very bright or burning very hot.Related to this, a blaze is also anything that is exceptionally bright, colorful, passionate, intense, or sudden, such as a jewel.Also related to this, to blaze means to burn brightly or hotly or to shine like a flame.A blaze is also a spot or mark on a tree used to indicate the direction of a trail. To blaze a trail is to mark trees or other landmarks, like rocks, with a blaze. Figuratively, if you blaze a trail, you are finding a new way.To blaze is also to make known or publish, as in The newspaper blazed the result of the trial on the front page.Example: The house was in a blaze by the time the firefighters arrived but everyone got out safely.
Related Words
See flame.
Etymology
Origin of blaze1
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”
Origin of blaze2
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”; blaze 1 ( def. )
Origin of blaze3
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”; blast
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.
Southern Californians out on Saturday night for Valentine’s Day took a break from staring longingly into each other’s eyes to gaze at something else: a SpaceX rocket blazing across the early evening Southland sky.
From Los Angeles Times
Oil shale, or blaze as it is sometimes known in Scotland, is a material that was historically mined from the bedrock.
From BBC
Among Latinos, such a shift is blazing around the country like memes about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show.
From Los Angeles Times
He’s wearing dark pants and a dark jacket, even in the blazing sun, and there’s a beanie pulled over his eyes.
From Literature
The silk sizzled and shrank as the handkerchief blazed.
From Literature
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.
