set on fire
Idioms-
Also, set fire to . Cause to ignite and burn, as in The drought and high wind combined to set the woods on fire . [c. 1400]
-
Cause to become excited, as in The music set the audience on fire . Also see catch fire ; set the world on fire .
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 father of a young family has described how he rushed into their home to grab their pet dog and personal belongings after the listed building next door was set on fire.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
A 25-metre high wooden structure is set on fire at the Nikola Lanivets art park in Russia's Kaluga region as part of celebrations for Maslenitsa.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
Electronic tchotchkes are ubiquitous but many people have little or no access to nutritious food or health care as our environment is run through a meat grinder and set on fire.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026
Masli responded by dreaming up a ritual involving a sock that was set on fire in symbolic purgation of burdensome resentments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2025
Of course, nobody ever knew how the dump was set on fire.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
