Meaning & use
flammable substance
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountabletechnical
A material that can catch fire easily and burn quickly.
Grammar: Countable; can be used with 'a' or in the plural, e.g., 'flammable substances'.
Patterns
- store flammable substances
- a highly flammable substance
Gasoline is a highly flammable substance and must be handled with care.
The laboratory stores all flammable substances in a special cabinet.
Never smoke near flammable substances like paint thinner or alcohol.
phrasecountabletechnical
Any material that is easily set on fire and burns rapidly, often used in safety regulations.
Grammar: Often used in warnings and official instructions.
Patterns
- keep away from flammable substances
- label flammable substances
All containers of flammable substances must be clearly labeled.
The fire spread quickly because the warehouse was full of flammable substances.
Workers are trained to handle flammable substances safely.
Word forms
| plural | flammable substances |
|---|
Common combinations
- highly flammable substance
- Hydrogen is a highly flammable substance.
- store flammable substances
- You must store flammable substances in a cool, dry place.
- flammable substance warning
- The label had a flammable substance warning on it.
- keep away from flammable substances
- Keep away from flammable substances when using a blowtorch.
Synonyms and how they differ
- combustible material
- Similar, but 'combustible' is more formal and often used in technical contexts; it can also mean able to burn, not necessarily easily.
- inflammable substance
- Means the same as 'flammable', but is often confusing because the prefix 'in-' usually means 'not'. It is less common in modern safety language.
Opposites
Word family
- flammability noun
- The quality of being flammable; how easily something can catch fire.
Commonly confused: flammable substance or inflammable? flammable substance or nonflammable?
flammable substance vs inflammable
'Inflammable' means the same as 'flammable' (easily set on fire), not 'not flammable'. This is a common source of confusion.
flammable substance vs nonflammable
Means not easily set on fire; the opposite of flammable.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'flammable substance' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 is correct because a flammable substance is one that catches fire easily. Option 0 is wrong because water is not flammable. Option 2 is wrong because a substance is not clothing. Option 3 is wrong because flammable substances start fires, they do not put them out.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flammable substance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.