fire on all cylinders

Idioms

Also,. Function very well, as in Once we figured out how to use the new software, the department was firing on all cylinders, or “So the best infielder takes time to fit into the infield of a Big League club and have it hit on all four cylinders again” (Christy Mathewson, Pitching in a Pinch, 1912). This term transfers the functioning of an internal combustion engine, which works best when all its cylinders ignite, to broader use. [Early 1900s]

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

fire on all cylinders

The economy can’t fire on all cylinders unless manufacturers are participating.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 2, 2026

“The team is starting to fire on all cylinders, finally,” Muncy said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2025

Erling Haaland will also be back soon and we are entering that time of the year when Manchester City usually fire on all cylinders.

From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2024

To be Golden State’s spoiler, or to win the title from some other Western Conference team, it will need to fire on all cylinders.

From New York Times ● Jan. 7, 2022

"Yet the landscape has changed markedly as vaccination rates are exceptionally high, lockdowns are over and the economy is once again starting to fire on all cylinders."

From Reuters ● Nov. 26, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023