flame
[noun]
Synonyms:
- fire, blaze, brightness, light
- sweetheart, beau, boyfriend, girlfriend, heart-throb (Brit.), lover
[verb]
Synonyms:
- burn, blaze, flare, flash, glare, glow, shine

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Related Words: coruscate, glint, fire, ignite, kindle, light

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. flame¹ /fleɪm/ noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin flamma 'flame']

1. [uncountable and countable] hot bright burning gas that you see when something is on fire:
Flames poured out of the windows of the building.
They rushed past us with buckets of water and tried to douse the flames.
They sat around the campfire, watching the flickering flames.
Flames quickly engulfed the building.
a candle flame

2. in flames burning in a way that is difficult to control:
When we reached Mandalay it was in flames.
They escaped just as the house was engulfed in flames.

3. go up in flames/burst into flames to suddenly begin burning in a way that is difficult to control:
The helicopter burst into flames after hitting a power line.

4. a flame of anger/desire/passion etc literary a strong feeling:
Flames of desire shot through her.

5. [countable] an angry or rude email
⇒ old flame at old(4), ⇒ naked flame at naked(5), ⇒ fan the flames at fan²(2), ⇒ add fuel to the fire/flames at add(9)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. flame² verb [intransitive]

1. literary to become suddenly bright with light or colour, especially red or orange:
Erica’s cheeks flamed with anger.

2. literary to burn brightly:
A great fire flamed in an open fireplace.

3. to send someone an angry or rude message in an email or on a bulletin board

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

flame
noun
I. hot bright stream of fire
ADJ. hot | small | bright | pale | dancing, flickering, leaping | steady | naked Never smoke or use spray paint near a naked flame.
candle, gas | Olympic
QUANT. ball, sheet, tongue The plane crashed in a ball of flames. Sheets of flame shot into the air.
VERB + FLAME ignite, spark (often figurative) His childhood interest in the game had ignited a flame of passion for football.
rekindle (often figurative) They tried to rekindle the flames of romance.
douse, extinguish, quench, snuff (out) | feel (often figurative) She felt a flame of anger flicker and grow.
FLAME + VERB burn The flame burnt brightly.
grow | die, go out The candle flame flickered and went out.
leap, rise, shoot Flames leapt from the burning house. Flames shot high into the air.
lick (sth) Orange flames were already licking round the foot of the stairs.
dance, flicker Flames danced in the gas lantern.
FLAME + NOUN thrower The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.
PHRASES the crackle of flames 2 flames fire
ADJ. roaring
VERB + FLAME be engulfed in, be in A large part of the building was in flames.
go up in All the historical records have gone up in flames (= have been destroyed by fire).
burst into, erupt in, explode in/into The helicopter burst into flames.
fuel Oxygen tanks fuelled the flames.
fan Winds fanned the flames.
shoot sb/sth down in The aircraft was shot down in flames.
fight He fought the flames for two hours.
control Firefighters have been trying to control the flames.
douse, extinguish, put out, quench, smother Men came with buckets of water and began to douse the flames.
be beaten back by They tried to get into to the house but were beaten back by the flames.
FLAME + VERB die down | spread, sweep through sth They watched the flames sweep through the old wooden barn.
engulf sth The flames quickly spread and engulfed their home.
light sth (up) The flames lit up the skyline.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

flame

put out/extinguish the flames (=make them stop burning)
The firemen successfully put out the flames.
douse the flames (=pour water on them to make them stop)
We used a bucket of water to douse the flames.
smother the flames (=put something over them to make them stop burning)
Barry smothered the flames with a blanket.
fan the flames (=make them burn more by waving something in front of them)
She used a large piece of card to fan the flames.
a flame burns
The flames were burning brightly.
a flame dies down (=burns less strongly)
By evening, the flames had gradually died down.
a flame goes out (=stops burning)
Try not to let the flame go out.
flames flicker (also flames dance literary) (=they move)
He watched the flames flickering in the fireplace.
flames engulf something (=they completely surround and burn something)
Flames quickly engulfed the building.
flames leap (=they go high into the air)
Flames were leaping up the chimney.
flames lick something literary (=they touch something lightly)
Flames licked the darkening sky.
a naked/an open flame (=not enclosed with a cover)
Never use a naked flame near spray paint.
a candle flame
He lit the fire with the candle flame.
a gas flame
The glass is heated over a gas flame.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

flame
fleɪm
See: add fuel to the flame , go up in flames

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲