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REFERENCE

flame

n. · v. · adj.
US //ˈfɫeɪm// UK //flˈeɪm// flame
  1. 1 part of a fire (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the bright, hot part of a fire that you can see.

    the visible, gaseous part of a fire produced by the combustion of fuel.

    Example

    The candle flame danced in the breeze from the open window.

    Example

    The orange flames licked at the dry logs, quickly transforming the small spark into a roaring campfire that warmed the entire clearing.
  2. 2 strong emotion (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Literary

    a very strong feeling, like passion, anger, or excitement.

    an intense state of emotion, particularly passion, zeal, or burning anger.

    Example

    The flame of hope still burned in her heart despite the bad news.

    Example

    The speaker's words fanned the flame of rebellion among the crowd, turning their quiet frustration into active protest.
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  1. 3 a romantic partner (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    someone you were in love with, usually for a short time.

    a romantic partner or lover, often in the context of a past or intense but brief relationship.

    Example

    He ran into an old flame at the wedding last weekend.

    Example

    Seeing his old flame after a decade brought back a flood of memories, though they both realised how much they had changed since university.
  2. 4 internet insult (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Computing

    an angry or insulting message sent to someone online.

    an aggressively insulting or abusive message posted in an online forum or social media thread.

    Example

    He decided not to reply to the flame he received on the message board.

    Example

    The moderator stepped in after a series of flames derailed the technical discussion and turned it into a personal argument.

    Usage

    Often used in the context of 'flame wars' where users trade insults back and forth.
  3. 5 to burn (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to burn brightly with flames.

    to produce flames or to burn with a steady blaze.

    Example

    The dry wood began to flame as soon as the match touched it.

    Example

    The bonfire flamed up suddenly when the dry brush caught, casting long shadows across the dark garden.
  4. 6 to insult online (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Computing

    to send angry or rude messages to someone on the internet.

    to post abusive or insulting messages to a person or group in an online environment.

    Example

    The gamer was flamed by his teammates for making a silly mistake.

    Example

    The journalist was flamed on social media by thousands of users who disagreed with her controversial opinion piece.

    Usage

    Usually transitive, taking the person being insulted as the direct object.
  5. 7 bright orange-red (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    having a bright reddish-orange colour like fire.

    of a brilliant reddish orange-gold colour resembling that of a fire.

    Example

    She wore a flame red dress that stood out in the crowd.

    Example

    The autumn leaves turned a brilliant flame orange, creating a stunning contrast against the grey October sky.
Etymology 1

From Middle English flawme, blend of Old French flame and flambe, flamble, the first from Latin flamma, the second from Latin flammula, diminutive of flamma, both from pre-Latin fladma; Proto-Italic flagmā, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shimmer, gleam, shine”). Displaced native Old English līeġ.

Etymology 2

From Middle English flawmen, from Old French flamber, flammer.

Word family
Idioms2 entries

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