eternal flame

American  

[ih-tur-nl fleym] / ɪˈtɜr nl ˈfleɪm /

noun

1. a contained fire ignited ceremonially and kept burning, usually in a public place and as a perpetual memorial or symbol.

   On our trip to the United States we visited the grave of President John F. Kennedy, where there is an eternal flame.

   The Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima features an eternal flame symbolizing the hope for a world free of nuclear weapons.

2. a fire ignited naturally or accidentally, sometimes burning underground, and fueled by deposits of coal or natural gas that keep it from going out.

   At the Burning Mountain in Australia, an eternal flame has been slowly burning underground for 6,000 years.

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Etymology

Origin of eternal flame

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

At the bottom of some steps burns an eternal flame surrounded by the names of Nazi concentration and extermination camps.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2025

I like Bobby — he was my favorite ballplayer to cover — and Bobby Bonilla Day is sort of like his eternal flame.

From Washington Times • Nov. 21, 2023

In 1993, they hosted a peacemaking conference where they ceremonially lit an eternal flame, similar to one reportedly long tended at the medieval monastery.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 1, 2023

At a memorial ceremony, Mr. Biden is expected to rekindle the eternal flame and lay a wreath.

From New York Times • Jul. 13, 2022

Or, perhaps, to tend it carefully like an eternal flame: a reminder of light and goodness that would never—could never—set anything ablaze.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng