blaze

[ bleyz ]

/ bleɪz /

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See synonyms for: blaze / blazes / blazing on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

a sparkling brightness: a blaze of jewels.

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

blazes, Informal. hell: Go to blazes!

verb (used without object), blazed, blaz·ing.

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.

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

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

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

to be brilliantly conspicuous.

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Origin of blaze

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

blaw, Blaxican, Blaxploitation, Blaydon, blazar, blaze, blaze a trail, blaze orange, blazer, blazes, blazing

Other definitions for blaze (2 of 3)

blaze²

[ bleyz ]

/ bleɪz /

noun

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.

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

verb (used with object), blazed, blaz·ing.

to mark with blazes: to blaze a trail.

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

Origin of blaze

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 ]

/ bleɪz /

verb (used with object), blazed, blaz·ing.

to make known; proclaim; publish: Headlines blazed the shocking news.

Obsolete. to blow, as from a trumpet.

Origin of blaze

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. 2022

MORE ABOUT BLAZE

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.

Where does blaze come from?

The first records of the fire blaze come from before the 1000s. It ultimately comes from the Old English blase, meaning “torch, lamp.” The first records of the trail blaze come from the 1630s, related to the Old Norse blesi meaning “white mark on a beast’s face.” And the first records of “make known” blasé come from the 1300s, from the Middle Dutch blasen, meaning “to blow (a horn).”

You might hear some phrases that use blaze. For example, blaze forth or trailblaze means to figuratively forge a path, as you would when marking a trail in the woods. Blazes is a synonym for hell, playing off the image of hell being made up of fire and brimstone. This meaning can be seen in the exclamation oh blazes, meaning “oh hell.” Finally, blaze can be used as a slang term meaning “to smoke cannabis.”

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to blaze?

blazer (noun)
blazes (noun, verb)

What are some synonyms for blaze?

What are some words that share a root or word element with blaze?

What are some words that often get used in discussing blaze?

How is blaze used in real life?

Blaze is a common word with several unrelated meanings. The most common usage relates to fire and light.

This love is a blaze , i saw flames

— Shawn Mendes (@ShawnMendes) May 21, 2014

Someone who wasn't afraid to blaze her own trail & create a path for those who would follow. A pioneer whose star shined bright. #RIPChyna

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 21, 2016

BREAKING: Paris firefighters say that blaze at Notre Dame cathedral is fully extinguished.

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 16, 2019

Try using blaze!

Which of the following is NOT a synonym for blaze?

A. smoke
B. wildfire
C. conflagration
D. bonfire

How to use blaze in a sentence

The Cuyahoga first caught on fire in 1868 and would burn 11 more times until the blaze on June 22, 1969.
51 Years Later, the Cuyahoga River Burns Again|Wes Siler|August 28, 2020|Outside Online
Here’s how these aerial operations work, and what it’s like battling blazes from the air.
How aerial firefighters battle blazes from the skies|Rob Verger|August 27, 2020|Popular-Science
The blazes quickly ripped through hundreds of thousands of acres, forcing thousands to evacuate, filling the skies with smoke, and raining down ash across much of the region.
Yes, climate change is almost certainly fueling California’s massive fires|James Temple|August 20, 2020|MIT Technology Review
A tornado of fire blazed before settling into a spinning blue flame several centimeters tall.
Four types of flames join forces to make this eerie ‘blue whirl’|Emily Conover|August 12, 2020|Science News

We’re blazing our own path, and creating opportunities that weren’t there before.
How Would You Describe Millennials In One Word?|Candice Bradley|July 21, 2020|Everything After Z
On Christmas Day, sometime after dark, a hideous fire overtook the venue: 100 firefighters, 33 fire trucks, a four-alarm blaze.
The Fiery Death of Sotto Sotto, Toronto’s Celebrity Hotspot|Shinan Govani|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A Molotov cocktail tumbled in an arc overhead and erupted briefly in a blaze.
Mexican Protesters Look to Start a New Revolution|Jason McGahan|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The blaze was deemed suspicious enough to warrant an investigation.
The Loser Who Wanted to Be the ISIS Agent Next Door|Michael Daly|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They began assisting whomever they could and made plans to fight this blaze on high.
The Flying New York Fireman Who Shined on 9/11|Michael Daly|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pasto is almost 8,300 feet up in the mountains, so it was cold and crisp, with a blaze of stars across the sky.
Spirit Tripping With Colombian Shamans|Chris Allbritton|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She got up and stood in front of the fire, having her hand on the chimney-piece and looking down at the blaze.
Confidence|Henry James
She waited for the material pictures which she thought would gather and blaze before her imagination.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Through these flues were forced currents of hot air from a blaze in a large fireplace at one end of the house.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Hard up as we are for shell he thinks it best to blaze it away freely before closing and to trust our bayonets when we get in.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
There was a fire burning in the general-room of the hostelry, and Garnache went to warm him at its cheerful blaze.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for blaze (1 of 3)

blaze¹

/ (bleɪz) /

noun

a strong fire or flame

a very bright light or glare

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

brilliance; brightness

verb (intr)

to burn fiercely

to shine brightly

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

(usually foll by away) to shoot continuously

Word Origin for blaze

Old English blæse

British Dictionary definitions for blaze (2 of 3)

blaze²

/ (bleɪz) /

noun

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

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

verb (tr)

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

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

Word Origin for blaze

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

British Dictionary definitions for blaze (3 of 3)

blaze³

/ (bleɪz) /

verb

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

Word Origin for blaze

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)

blaze

Origin of blaze

synonym study for blaze

Words nearby blaze

Other definitions for blaze (2 of 3)

Origin of blaze

Other definitions for blaze (3 of 3)

Origin of blaze

MORE ABOUT BLAZE

What does blaze mean?

Where does blaze come from?

Did you know … ?

How is blaze used in real life?

Try using blaze!

Words related to blaze

How to use blaze in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for blaze (1 of 3)

Word Origin for blaze

British Dictionary definitions for blaze (2 of 3)

Word Origin for blaze

British Dictionary definitions for blaze (3 of 3)

Word Origin for blaze

Other Idioms and Phrases with blaze