catch fire
Idioms-
Be ignited, as in This wood is dry enough to catch fire . [c. 1600] Also see set on fire .
-
Become inflamed with enthusiasm or passion, as in His ideas caught fire all over the country . [Early 1700s]
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 54-year-old, who has lived in Lege-Cap-Ferret for 30 years, fled his home after watching his neighbour's wooden house catch fire.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
On Thursday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said three tankers had abandoned an attempt to pass through Hormuz after an explosion aboard one of them caused it to catch fire.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Garza’s Gladiator is among one million other Jeeps recalled this week because they might catch fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
The U.S. jobs market took a sharp turn for the worse in 2025, and it doesn’t look like hiring will catch fire in the new year.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 20, 2025
Two things were very clear to Lee: first, despite what Goll had said, no fire engines had arrived, and, second, his house was about to catch fire.
From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy
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.
