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. Informal.,  blazes, hell.

   Go to blazes!

verb (used without object)

blazed, blazing 

1. to burn brightly (sometimes followed byaway, 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 byforth ).

   Their faces blazed with enthusiasm.

3. to burn with intense feeling or passion (sometimes followed byup ).

   He blazed up at the insult.

4. to shoot steadily or continuously (usually followed byaway ).

   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, blazing 

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, blazing 

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. to explore new territories, areas of knowledge, etc, in such a way that others can follow

blaze

³

/ bleɪz /

verb

1. 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

• hot as blazes
• like greased lightning (blazes)

Synonym Study

See flame.

Example Sentences

About 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze in a restaurant at the BBC's former Television Centre headquarters in west London.

From BBC

The blaze had grown to 200 acres by 8 p.m., leading authorities to expand evacuation warnings as hand crews and a firefighting helicopter worked to combat the flames.

From Los Angeles Times

Approximately 1,800 firefighters have been battling the blaze, some laying down sprinkler line to shoot water onto the hulking trees, which can grow beyond 300 feet tall.

From Los Angeles Times

Firefighters are currently battling more than 25 active blazes in the state.

From Los Angeles Times

State officials say damage claims from the Eaton fire could wipe out a $21 billion fund California created to shield utilities from the cost of blazes sparked by their electric lines.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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

When To Use

What does blaze mean?

A blaze is a bright flame or large fire, characterized as being very bright or burning very hot.Related to this, a blaze is also anything that is exceptionally bright, colorful, passionate, intense, or sudden, such as a jewel.Also related to this, to blaze means to burn brightly or hotly or to shine like a flame.A blaze is also a spot or mark on a tree used to indicate the direction of a trail. To blaze a trail is to mark trees or other landmarks, like rocks, with a blaze. Figuratively, if you blaze a trail, you are finding a new way.To blaze is also to make known or publish, as in The newspaper blazed the result of the trial on the front page.Example: The house was in a blaze by the time the firefighters arrived but everyone got out safely.