flammable

adjective

flam·​ma·​ble ˈfla-mə-bəl How to pronounce flammable (audio)
: capable of being easily ignited and of burning quickly
flammable noun

Examples of flammable in a Sentence

avoid wearing loose flammable clothing when using the blowtorch
Recent Examples on the Web The wildfire — the deadliest in Chile’s history, killing 134 people and destroying thousands of homes — blazed out of control almost from the start, fueled by extreme climate conditions, high winds and flammable trees. John Bartlett, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Last week, Reuters reported that the company was fined for violating US Department of Transportation (DoT) rules regarding the movement of hazardous materials, including xylene, a toxic and flammable solvent sometimes used in tissue processing. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 30 Jan. 2024 Airplanes carry thousands of pounds of jet fuel for most flights, and other fluids like hydraulics and lubricating oil can be flammable. Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024 Its severity was due to a perfect storm of environmental factors: highly flammable grasses and strong winds combined with record-high temperatures and dry conditions — the kind of extreme weather often exacerbated by climate change. Laura Paddison, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 This Kafkaesque situation risks other countries not wishing to remove flammable cladding, says Rein. Alex Christian, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2024 The spread of the 2017 fire in the Grenfell Tower block in west London that killed 72 people after an electrical fault was blamed on the use of highly flammable external cladding. Reuters, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024 Etheridge, donning the requisite cowboy hat, unleashed her flammable voice, all grit and kerosene, on the deliberately plodding song, injecting it with her own cadence and drama as Larkin Poe augmented the cascade of guitars. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2024 Caltrans also suggests requiring that risks involving flammable, combustible, explosive or other hazardous materials stored under structures be addressed immediately. Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flammable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin flammare to flame, set on fire, from flamma

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flammable was in 1813

Dictionary Entries Near flammable

Cite this Entry

“Flammable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flammable. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flammable

adjective
flam·​ma·​ble ˈflam-ə-bəl How to pronounce flammable (audio)
: capable of being easily set on fire and of burning rapidly
a flammable liquid
flammability
ˌflam-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē
noun
flammable noun

More from Merriam-Webster on flammable

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