blaze

¹

[ bleyz ]

noun

1. a bright flame or fire:

   the welcome blaze of the hearth.

2. a bright, hot gleam or glow:

   the blaze of day.

3. a sparkling brightness:

   a blaze of jewels.

4. a sudden, intense outburst, as of fire, passion, or fury:

   to unleash a blaze of pent-up emotions; a blaze of glory.

5. blazes, Informal. hell:

   Go to blazes!

verb (used without object)

, blazed, blaz·ing.

1. to burn brightly (sometimes followed by away, up, forth ):

   The bonfire blazed away for hours. The dry wood blazed up at the touch of a match.

2. to shine like flame (sometimes followed by forth ):

   Their faces blazed with enthusiasm.

3. to burn with intense feeling or passion (sometimes followed by up ):

   He blazed up at the insult.

4. to shoot steadily or continuously (usually followed by away ):

   The contestants blazed away at the clay pigeons.

5. to be brilliantly conspicuous.

blaze

²

[ bleyz ]

noun

1. a spot or mark made on a tree, as by painting or notching or by chipping away a piece of the bark, to indicate a trail or boundary.
2. a white area down the center of the face of a horse, cow, etc.

verb (used with object)

, blazed, blaz·ing.

1. to mark with blazes:

   to blaze a trail.

2. to lead in forming or finding (a new method, course, etc.):

   His research in rocketry blazed the way for space travel.

blaze

³

[ bleyz ]

verb (used with object)

, blazed, blaz·ing.

1. to make known; proclaim; publish:

   Headlines blazed the shocking news.

2. Obsolete. to blow, as from a trumpet.

blaze

¹

/ bleɪz /

noun

1. a strong fire or flame
2. a very bright light or glare
3. an outburst (of passion, acclaim, patriotism, etc)
4. brilliance; brightness

verb

1. to burn fiercely
2. to shine brightly
3. often foll by up to become stirred, as with anger or excitement
4. usually foll by away to shoot continuously

blaze

²

/ bleɪz /

noun

1. a mark, usually indicating a path, made on a tree, esp by chipping off the bark
2. a light-coloured marking on the face of a domestic animal, esp a horse

verb

1. to indicate or mark (a tree, path, etc) with a blaze
2. blaze a trail
   to explore new territories, areas of knowledge, etc, in such a way that others can follow

blaze

³

/ bleɪz /

verb

1. troften foll byabroad to make widely known; proclaim

Word History and Origins

Origin of blaze¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English blase, blease, blese “a flame, blaze,” Old English blase, blæse “torch, lamp”; cognate with Middle High German blas “torch,” German blass (adjective) “pale, whitish”

Origin of blaze²

First recorded in 1635–45; akin to Old Norse blesi, Dutch bles, German Blässe, all meaning “white mark on a beast's face,” and to German adjective blass “pale”; blaze ¹( def )

Origin of blaze³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English blasen “to blow (a horn), fan (fire), breathe (flames),” from Middle Dutch blasen “to blow (a horn)”; cognate with Old Norse blāsa “to blow (as wind, or with the mouth), blow a horn”; blast

Word History and Origins

Origin of blaze¹

Old English blæse

Origin of blaze²

C17: probably from Middle Low German bles white marking; compare blemish

Origin of blaze³

C14: from Middle Dutch blāsen , from Old High German blāsan ; related to Old Norse blāsa

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with blaze , also see hot as blazes ; like greased lightning (blazes) .

Synonym Study

See flame.

Example Sentences

In just a few terrifying hours, the Mountain Fire became the most destructive blaze in Southern California in years.

From Los Angeles Times

But there’s no guarantee a blaze like the Mountain fire won’t happen again.

From Los Angeles Times

Police added the large cordon encompassing several nearby streets remained in place after the blaze was extinguished due to ongoing safety concerns, but this would be continually reviewed and adapted by experts.

From BBC

The Magic Cottage, which supports children with additional needs and life-limiting illnesses, was the epicentre of the blaze which broke out in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, on Sunday night.

From BBC

Other blaze hazards include fireworks, campfires, and smoking.

From Slate

Related Words

• explode
• flare
• flash
• flicker
• gleam
• glow
• illuminate
• radiate
• shimmer
• shine
• sparkle