This review discusses recent progress in understanding turbulent, lifted hydrocarbon jet flames and the conditions under which they stabilize. The viewpoint is from that of the empiricist, focusing on experimental results and the physically based theories that have emerged from their interpretations, as well as from the theoretically founded notions that have been supported. Pertinent concepts from laminar lifted flame stabilization studies are introduced at the onset. Classification in broad categories of the types of turbulent lifted flame theories is then presented. Experiments are discussed which support the importance of a variety of effects, including partial premixing, edge-flames, local extinction, streamline divergence and large-scale structures. This discussion details which of the categories of theories are supported by particular experiments, comments on the experimental results themselves and their salient contributions. Overall conclusions on the state of the field are drawn and future directions for research are also discussed. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.