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.
The three sites identified for clearance include a notorious dump in Bickershaw, near Wigan, which caught fire last summer, forcing schools nearby to close.
From BBC
She was telling him that the gossip about me had not caught fire, that my reputation was intact.
From Literature
One house there recently caught fire as it was coming to market: A local broker said he heard the owners still received offers.
Bouchard said it was difficult to determine the suspect's cause of death because the vehicle caught fire.
From BBC
Two foreign oil tankers were hit in Iraqi waters on Wednesday, catching fire and leaking oil, the country’s ports officials said, according to The Wall Street Journal External link.
From Barron's
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.
