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 idea was liable to catch fire between us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Sodium-ion batteries of the kind used by Peak Energy can still catch fire, but are far less likely to, Mossburg says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Garza’s Gladiator is among one million other Jeeps recalled this week because they might catch fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
"These things, when they catch fire, they go - they really go - they are big, big issues and big fires," he added, although cabin crew are trained on how to deal with it.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
Manchee’ll take the burning stick upwind of Aaron and drop it somewhere to catch fire and make Aaron think I’ve lit up my own campsite.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
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.
