Online OXFORD Collocation Dictionary

flame noun

¹ hot bright stream of fire

ADJ. hot | small | bright | pale | dancing, flickering, leaping | steady | naked Never smoke or use spray paint near a naked flame. | candle, gas | Olympic

QUANT. ball, sheet, tongue The plane crashed in a ball of flames. Sheets of flame shot into the air.

VERB + FLAME ignite, spark (often figurative) His childhood interest in the game had ignited a flame of passion for football. | rekindle (often figurative) They tried to rekindle the flames of romance. | douse, extinguish, quench, snuff (out) | feel (often figurative) She felt a flame of anger flicker and grow.

FLAME + VERB burn The flame burnt brightly. | grow | die, go out The candle flame flickered and went out. | leap, rise, shoot Flames leapt from the burning house. Flames shot high into the air. | lick (sth) Orange flames were already licking round the foot of the stairs. | dance, flicker Flames danced in the gas lantern.

FLAME + NOUN thrower The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.

PHRASES the crackle of flames 2 flames fire

ADJ. roaring

VERB + FLAME be engulfed in, be in A large part of the building was in flames. | go up in All the historical records have gone up in flames (= have been destroyed by fire). | burst into, erupt in, explode in/into The helicopter burst into flames. | fuel Oxygen tanks fuelled the flames. | fan Winds fanned the flames. | shoot sb/sth down in The aircraft was shot down in flames. | fight He fought the flames for two hours. | control Firefighters have been trying to control the flames. | douse, extinguish, put out, quench, smother Men came with buckets of water and began to douse the flames. | be beaten back by They tried to get into to the house but were beaten back by the flames.

FLAME + VERB die down | spread, sweep through sth They watched the flames sweep through the old wooden barn. | engulf sth The flames quickly spread and engulfed their home. | light sth (up) The flames lit up the skyline.