flame

American  

[flaym] / fleɪm /

noun

• flames
  plural

1. burning gas or vapor, as from wood or coal, that is undergoing combustion; a portion of ignited gas or vapor.

   Synonyms:

   fire

2. Often flames the state or condition of blazing combustion.

   to burst into flames.

3. any flamelike condition; glow; inflamed condition.

4. brilliant light; scintillating luster.

5. bright coloring; a streak or patch of color.

6. flame color.

7. intense ardor, zeal, or passion.

8. Informal. an object of one's passionate love; sweetheart.

   He's taking out his new flame tonight.

9. Computer Slang. an angry, critical, or disparaging electronic message, as an online comment.

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verb (used without object)

• flames,
  present (3rd person singular)
• flamed,
  past participle,  past
• flaming
  present participle

1. to burn with a flame or flames; burst into flames; blaze.

2. to glow like flame; shine brilliantly; flash.

3. to burn or burst forth with strong emotion; break into open anger, indignation, etc.

4. Computer Slang. to post an angry, critical, or disparaging electronic message, as an online comment.

verb (used with object)

• flames,
  present (3rd person singular)
• flamed,
  past participle,  past
• flaming
  present participle

1. to subject to the action of flame or fire.

2. to flambé.

3. Computer Slang. to insult or criticize angrily in an online post or comment.

verb phrase

1. flame out

   1. (of a jet engine) to cease to function due to an interruption of the fuel supply or to faulty combustion.

   2. to burst out in or as if in flames.

flame British  

/ fleɪm /

noun

1. a hot usually luminous body of burning gas often containing small incandescent particles, typically emanating in flickering streams from burning material or produced by a jet of ignited gas

2. (often plural) the state or condition of burning with flames

   to burst into flames

3. a brilliant light; fiery glow

4. 1. a strong reddish-orange colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a flame carpet

5. intense passion or ardour; burning emotion

6. informal a lover or sweetheart (esp in the phrase an old flame )

7. informal an abusive message sent by electronic mail, esp to express anger or criticism of an internet user

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verb

1. to burn or cause to burn brightly; give off or cause to give off flame

2. (intr) to burn or glow as if with fire; become red or fiery

   his face flamed with anger

3. (intr) to show great emotion; become angry or excited

4. (tr) to apply a flame to (something)

5. archaic (tr) to set on fire, either physically or with emotion

6. informal to send an abusive message by electronic mail

flame Scientific  

/ flām /

1. The hot, glowing mixture of burning gases and tiny particles that arises from combustion. Flames get their light either from the fluorescence of molecules or ions that have become excited, or from the incandescence of solid particles involved in the combustion process, such as the carbon particles from a candle.

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flame Idioms  

1. see add fuel to the fire (flames); burst into (flames); fan the flames; go up in flames; shoot down (in flames).

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Synonym Usage

Flame, blaze, conflagration refer to the light and heat given off by combustion. Flame is the common word, referring to a combustion of any size: the light of a match flame. Blaze usually denotes a quick, hot, bright, and comparatively large flame: The fire burst into a blaze. Conflagration refers to destructive flames which spread over a considerable area: A conflagration destroyed Chicago.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• flamelet
  noun
• flamer
  noun
• underflame
  noun
• outflame
  verb (used with object)
• flameless
  adjective
• flamelike
  adjective
• flamy
  adjective
• preflame
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• flames
  plural

Participles

• flaming
  present
• flamed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• flame
  simple
• flames
  simple
• have flamed
  perfect
• has flamed
  perfect
• am flaming
  progressive
• are flaming
  progressive
• is flaming
  progressive
• have been flaming
  perfect progressive
• has been flaming
  perfect progressive

Past

• flamed
  simple
• had flamed
  perfect
• was flaming
  progressive
• were flaming
  progressive
• had been flaming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will flame
  simple
• will have flamed
  perfect
• will be flaming
  progressive
• will have been flaming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of flame

First recorded in 1300–50; (noun) Middle English flaume, from Anglo-French, variant of flaumbe; Old French flambe, earlier flamble, from Latin flammula, diminutive of flamma “flame” ( see -ule); (verb) Middle English flaumen, from Anglo-French flaum(b)er; Old French flamber, from Latin flammāre, derivative of flamma

Explanation

The flame of a fire produces light and heat and often flickers or dances. As a verb, to flame is to be on fire or to flare up. On the Internet, flame has a different meaning: to post or send aggressive, negative, or insulting messages in a public electronic forum. "Flame wars" are exchanges of such messages between individuals or parties and often occur behind a veil of anonymity. It's an appropriate term, given that inflammatory, which takes flame as its root, describes speech or action that tends to incite a heightened and negative response.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flame flames flamed flaming

But Yank’s sense of dignity proves as fragile as a candle flame; it’s instantly snuffed out when Mildred appears and reviles him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Runners could honor the Olympic movement’s past or future while celebrating L.A. and sports before passing the flame to the final torchbearer to light the cauldron.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

South Korea said North Korean land mines “highly likely” caused the explosions based on the blast crater, flame patterns and the soldiers’ injuries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

It leaves vegetation dead, dry and needing just a small spark to erupt into flame.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Gritting his teeth, he did the only thing he could think to do, and holding the flame out before him, pushed his way forward.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Within minutes, four fellow volunteer firefighters and I arrived at a multistory house in New York’s Hudson Valley to see flames blasting through the roof.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

It had already been burning for some time when we showed up on scene; we stopped the flames but couldn’t save the structure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

There is Glover, embracing a feminine aesthetic while cooking over open flames.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

"I watched as my mother is standing there in her nightgown, my father in his underwear, outside the building in tears... and there are flames, everything is burning," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

But now Akira saw flames spreading through the forest around them.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

In what is likely the most watched soccer match in the country’s history, they flamed out in epic fashion with a blowout defeat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

The 1988 presidential campaign of Alexander Haig, a former four-star general who served as Ronald Reagan’s first secretary of state, flamed out amid GOP infighting over the Iran–Contra affair.

From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026

Other standouts included flamed A5 wagyu topped with foie gras and melt-in-your-mouth hamachi in yuzu and soy, finished with serrano and a dollop of sriracha.

From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2026

Doubts about a Fed rate cut next month were also flamed by the release of much-delayed September jobs data.

From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025

Along the length of Elsinore's vast hall, torches flamed in their sconces.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

A woman testified that she saw Stout get out of the flaming car and push it over the dirt mound, where it rolled down the embankment and ignited the dry vegetation at the bottom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

International fans who have lived with this flaming dumpster of technology have to chuckle at a Jason-come-lately discovering the bane of their existence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The sky blacked by the smoke from flaming vehicles was visible from Saunders's suite in a luxury hotel along Puerto Vallarta's main strip.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

Some of her favourite moments include Beaker losing his eyeballs in a science experiment and Gonzo wearing flaming roller skates - to give a flavour of the chaos.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026

The candlelight flickered in the lenses of Edward Ashton’s glasses as if his eyes might shoot flaming arrows at her.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• blaze
• conflagration
• flare
• flash
• light
• spark
• wildfire