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 TikTok and Instagram, the protein hysteria reached a fever pitch.

From Salon • May 7, 2026

Fears that autonomous AI agents would damage software-as-a-service companies’ business models reached fever pitch earlier this year, with shares in tech companies the world over selling off in response.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Nervousness around AI seems to have reached fever pitch.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

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

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