blaze

¹ American  

[bleyz] / bleɪz /

noun

1. a bright flame or fire.

   the welcome blaze of the hearth.

2. a bright, hot gleam or glow.

   the blaze of day.

3. a sparkling brightness.

   a blaze of jewels.

4. a sudden, intense outburst, as of fire, passion, or fury.

   to unleash a blaze of pent-up emotions; a blaze of glory.

5. Informal. blazes, hell.

   Go to blazes!

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verb (used without object)

blazed, blazing

1. 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.

2. to shine like flame (sometimes followed byforth ).

   Their faces blazed with enthusiasm.

3. to burn with intense feeling or passion (sometimes followed byup ).

   He blazed up at the insult.

4. to shoot steadily or continuously (usually followed byaway ).

   The contestants blazed away at the clay pigeons.

5. to be brilliantly conspicuous.

blaze ² American  

[bleyz] / bleɪz /

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.

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verb (used with object)

blazed, blazing

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.

blaze ³ American  

[bleyz] / bleɪz /

verb (used with object)

blazed, blazing

1. to make known; proclaim; publish.

   Headlines blazed the shocking news.

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

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blaze ¹ British  

/ bleɪz /

noun

1. a strong fire or flame

2. a very bright light or glare

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

4. brilliance; brightness

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verb

1. to burn fiercely

2. to shine brightly

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

4. (usually foll by away) to shoot continuously

blaze ² British  

/ 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

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verb

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

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

blaze ³ British  

/ bleɪz /

verb

1. to make widely known; proclaim

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blaze Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing blaze

• hot as blazes
• like greased lightning (blazes)

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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.

Synonym Usage

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”; see 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”; see also blast

Explanation

A blaze is a bright, strong flame. It can come from a fire, the sun, or anything else that shines or burns brilliantly. A fire is a blaze. Fire, when it's going strong and burning bright, is blazing. The greater the blaze, the harder a fire is to put out. You can also use this word for other types of brightness or shining. When Michael Jordan played in the NBA, he blazed across the league. Fashion trends that catch on quickly blaze across the country. If something spreads or shines like wildfire, it blazes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blaze blazed blazing

The blaze broke out around midday on Friday in the Hautes Fagnes, a large wooded area close to Germany that is popular with hikers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

West Midlands Fire Service chief fire officer Simon Tuhill said the Stourbridge blaze was one of the most significant incidents the service had ever dealt with.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

According to city records, some of the work inside the warehouse began while city firefighters were still there, monitoring the blaze.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

He described the scene as an "inferno" as the blaze "ripped through" the properties.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

“Die Engel-kinder!” cried the poor things as they ate and warmed their purple hands at the comfortable blaze.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Fiery torches blazed outside the riverside theater, welcoming a combination of well-dressed invitees and lucky ticket-bearing fans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Under gloomy skies, Lewandowski blazed a spot-kick over the bar as Fire's training session came to an end and Iraola's got under way.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

While the afternoons blazed, Tim sailed Melville’s waves of prose, alert to the rumble of an epic whale beneath their surface.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Opener Mandhana was dropped twice in an innings where she blazed nine fours and two sixes to set up an India score of 170-6.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

The truth blazed like sunlight in the shadows of Barracks 28.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Under a blazing sun, clad in black and clutching portraits of their slain leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian pilgrims streamed across the border into Iraq to observe the Arbaeen, the most revered event in Shia Islam.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Winning back-to-back titles and blazing through this season has brought Angelenos much-needed happiness during a terrible stretch for the city — but winning is what the Dodgers are supposed to do.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

India regularly experiences the type of blazing weather the U.S. has faced this summer, and 10 of its warmest years on record occurred in the past 15 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

One player, recently recalled winger Agustin Canobbio, had a blazing row with Bielsa, saying the breaking point came when the coach criticised the way he was sitting.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

Being immune to fire, he’d stood in smoky bonfires, endured dragon breath, and cleaned out blazing forges plenty of times.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• explode
• flare
• flash
• flicker
• gleam
• glow
• illuminate
• radiate
• shimmer
• shine
• sparkle