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blaze away

B2 neutral inseparable intransitive
In simple words

To shoot a gun non-stop, OR to burn very brightly, OR to do something with a lot of energy.

Literal meaning: To blaze (burn fiercely) continuously — relatively transparent.

Meanings

1 B2 neutral

To fire weapons rapidly and without stopping.

"The gunner blazed away at the approaching vehicles until he ran out of ammunition."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 neutral

To burn with great intensity and brightness for a sustained period.

"The bonfire blazed away long into the night, lighting up the whole field."

Grammar: inseparable
3 C1 idiomatic informal

To continue doing something with great enthusiasm or energy.

"The journalist blazed away at her article all afternoon and filed it just before the deadline."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

The firing and burning senses are both common in literary and journalistic writing. The 'work energetically' sense is informal and less common. 'Away' adds the sense of sustained, uninterrupted action. More frequent in British English than American English in the burning sense.

Commonly used with

guns fire flames keyboard questions sun

Forms

Base
blaze away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
blazes away
he/she/it
Past simple
blazed away
yesterday
Past participle
blazed away
have + pp
-ing form
blazing away
continuous

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