fever pitch

American  

noun

1. a high degree of excitement, as of a gathering of people.

   The announcement of victory brought the crowd to fever pitch.

---

fever pitch British  

noun

1. a state of intense excitement

   things were at fever pitch with the election coming up

---

Etymology

Origin of fever pitch

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Nervousness around AI seems to have reached fever pitch.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

Getting themselves to fever pitch when there's cordite in the air is one thing.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

Those marketing campaigns go beyond social media posts to keep anticipation at a fever pitch and actively engage the fandom while also attracting new viewers.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

The buzz around the files grew to a fever pitch last week, when House Democrats released a tranche of tens of thousands of Epstein’s emails.

From Salon • Nov. 18, 2025

In Germany, though interest in the fight was at a fever pitch, there was almost no betting on the fight.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown