variants
or less commonly enflame
inflamed also enflamed; inflaming also enflaming
1
a
: to excite to excessive or uncontrollable action or feeling
especially
: to make angry
b
: to make more heated or violent : intensify
insults served only to inflame the feud
2
: to set on fire : kindle
3
: to cause to redden or grow hot from anger or excitement
a face inflamed with passion
4
: to cause inflammation in (bodily tissue)
1
: to burst into flame
2
: to become excited or angered
3
: to become affected with inflammation
inflamer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of inflame in a Sentence
His angry speech inflamed the mob.
ideas that inflame the imagination
His comments have inflamed an already tense situation.
inflaming the passions of the mob
a chemical that can inflame the skin
Recent Examples on the Web
When the small intestine is inflamed, the lining becomes damaged.
—
Daniel More, Verywell Health, 17 Jan. 2025
By the summer, State Department analysts in the Middle East sent cables to Washington expressing concerns that the IDF’s conduct would only inflame tensions in the West Bank and galvanize young Palestinians to take up arms against Israel.
—Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 15 Jan. 2025
Moreover, Malick hasn’t granted any interviews since 1979, further inflaming the special cinephilic hunger aroused by the very notion of a Malick biography.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Drinking excessively can cause alcoholic hepatitis, where the liver becomes inflamed and swollen.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for inflame 
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Daniel More, Verywell Health, 17 Jan. 2025
By the summer, State Department analysts in the Middle East sent cables to Washington expressing concerns that the IDF’s conduct would only inflame tensions in the West Bank and galvanize young Palestinians to take up arms against Israel.
—Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 15 Jan. 2025
Moreover, Malick hasn’t granted any interviews since 1979, further inflaming the special cinephilic hunger aroused by the very notion of a Malick biography.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Drinking excessively can cause alcoholic hepatitis, where the liver becomes inflamed and swollen.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for inflame
Articles Related to inflame
Dictionary Entries Near inflame
Cite this Entry
“Inflame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inflame. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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Medical Definition
inflame
verb
in·flame
in-ˈflām 
inflamed; inflaming
: to cause inflammation in (bodily tissue)
inflame the sinuses
: to become affected with inflammation
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