fan the flames
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Winds and continued heat are still helping to fan the flames with some tourists reporting smelling acrid smoke like a "bonfire" far outside the affected areas.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
While urging restraint, Cepeda called on his rival not to fan the flames.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Others worry capping withdrawals will upset investors and fan the flames, so they paid out as much as 15%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
Rather than fan the flames of a recently intense division rivalry, he advocated for calm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
He knew it would just fan the flames.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
