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ablaze

American  
[uh-bleyz] / əˈbleɪz /

adjective

  1. burning; on fire.

    They set the logs ablaze.

  2. gleaming with bright lights, bold colors, etc.

  3. excited; eager; zealous; ardent.

  4. very angry.

ablaze British  
/ əˈbleɪz /

adjective

  1. on fire; burning

  2. brightly illuminated

  3. emotionally aroused

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ablaze

1800–10; a- 1 + blaze 1; compare Middle English on blase

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A truck fire set ablaze a massive mound of propane tanks Friday afternoon in Lancaster.

From Los Angeles Times

By the time firefighters arrived about 10 minutes later, the tower was ablaze, the flames traveling upward through the bamboo scaffolding and netting—and soon jumping to other buildings in the complex.

From The Wall Street Journal

"When I got there, my lodge was absolutely ablaze and lots of fire engines were turning up."

From BBC

Pictures show several buildings ablaze, and thick smoke billowing into the air, dominating Hong Kong's skyline.

From BBC

Helander’s unabashed homages may as well be spelled out in gasoline and set ablaze.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.