old flame
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.06 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A previous boyfriend or girlfriend; a former romantic or sexual partner, especially one for whom one still has romantic feelings.
Example Sentences
- "There once lived, in a sequestered part of the county of Devonshire, one Mr Godfrey Nickleby: a worthy gentleman, who, taking it into his head rather late in life that he must get married, and not being young enough or rich enough to aspire to the hand of a lady of fortune, had wedded an old flame out of mere attachment."
- ""Edith Bradin's coming," said some one to Gordon. "Didn't she used to be an old flame of yours? Aren't you both from Harrisburg?""
- "Lolly Mulberry, a notorious playgirl, was an old flame of Tudy’s and an old enemy of Materkins’."
- "But Philip still yearns for an old flame: Schiffer, an Oscar-winning actress."
Inflected Forms
Phrases
carry a torch for
Frequently Paired Words
carry a torch for