as in sweetheart
a person with whom one is in love
decided to look up an old flame while she was in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
as in to glow
to be on fire especially brightly
guests gathered around as the Yule log flamed brightly in the inn's great stone fireplace
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to erupt
to develop suddenly and violently
my anger flamed when the usher told my friend to shut up
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
4
as in to gleam
to shoot forth bursts of light
the actress's ruby necklace flamed dazzlingly under the bright lights
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flame
Abigail Hasebroock, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
Home insurance broadly covers fire damage, but there is a growing dispute over what damage must be covered when flames don't torch the property.
—CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
William Harwood, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2025
The Ash People, who bear red headdresses and have ash smeared across their faces, then attack Jake and Neytiri with a barrage of flaming arrows.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flame
Noun
After crashing, the plane erupted into flames, sending large plumes of smoke up, visible from nearby neighborhoods, schools and Interstate 95.
—Verb
Three minutes after that, the rocket's self-destruct system triggered an explosion that broke the Starship apart, producing a spectacular shower of flaming debris that rained down along the flight path.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for flame
Noun
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On June 25, 2000, just as the window to call high-school players officially opened, Crean contacted Wade at the home of his high-school sweetheart, Siohvaughn Funches.—
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And in walks the dream of America’s sweetheart, Sandra Dee.—
Verb
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Everything about this adaptation is radiant — from Cinderella’s glowing blue ballgown to the heartrending relationship between the Prince (a dashing Richard Madden) and his aging father (Branagh favorite Derek Jacobi).—
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More than 145 handmade lantern sculptures of plants and animals will glow across the grounds.—
Verb
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However, predicting if and when such jets could erupt from Sgr A* again isn't as easy as spotting evidence of its historical activity.—
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When Israel retaliated with deadly bombings of Gaza, students across the country erupted in protest.—
Verb
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The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.—
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.—
Verb
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The historic fantasy of the Great White Way as a glamorous montage of gleaming marquees, sparky backstage romances, and elegant audiences reveling in black tie was a Hollywood concoction, arguably false from the start.—
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Less than two weeks after Luis Enrique’s appointment, the first team took up residence at the club’s gleaming new training centre, the PSG Campus, in Poissy, 25 kilometres west of central Paris.—
Noun
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Along the way, Golden established himself as a rising star, while Walter Clayton became the darling of the Big Dance to win Most Outstanding Player and position himself as a potential first-round NBA Draft pick.—
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This darling cardigan can be worn on its own or paired over a sleeveless or short-sleeve blouse for a layered look.—
Verb
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Buxton was blazing down the line, nearly at the bag by the time Brown picked up the ball.—
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South Korea’s largest wildfires on record blazed through the country’s southeast for a seventh day, with firefighters, soldiers and heritage workers racing to evacuate people and save ancient treasures from the encroaching flames.—
Verb
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In the decades following the Clifford Ball, the popularity of music festivals exploded, a trend that Phish inadvertently helped engineer.—
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One thing is clear: Nationwide injunctions against Trump’s policies by federal district court judges have exploded during his time in the White House, while those against the policies of Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden also increased, but to a much lesser extent.—
Cite this Entry
“Flame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flame. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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