catch fire
Idioms-
Be ignited, as in This wood is dry enough to catch fire . [c. 1600] Also see set on fire .
-
Become inflamed with enthusiasm or passion, as in His ideas caught fire all over the country . [Early 1700s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They're potentially less likely to catch fire and should also work in a wider range of temperatures, even down to lows of minus 40C, external.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The idea was liable to catch fire between us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
In conventional battery packs, when one cell overheats and catches fire, it can cause all those around it to also catch fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
"It could definitely catch fire again if the pattern isn't changed. As long as organic waste remains piled up in a jumbled mess, methane gas will continue to be produced underground."
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Every day, he woke up wondering if the stick would somehow catch fire and burn, and he would cease to exist.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
