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.

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fever pitch British  

noun

1. a state of intense excitement

   things were at fever pitch with the election coming up

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Etymology

Origin of fever pitch

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

On Wednesday, some fans received a brief voice note, apparently from Styles, singing the words "we belong together" a capella, raising excitement to a fever pitch.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 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

Just weeks ago, Wall Street’s AI frenzy reached a fever pitch and minted Nvidia as the market’s first $5 trillion company.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

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

The fanning was at fever pitch now, and here came Imogene Lustbader down the aisle, clutching her music.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck