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.
Multiple land and ground water assessments from the time make reference to the fire training area - where firefighters would practice putting out an aeroplane set on fire above a 'pond' of fuel.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 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
My face felt like it had been set on fire.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
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.
