set the world on fire

1. Perform an outstanding feat and win fame, as in An ambitious man, he longed to set the world on fire with his inventions. This hyperbolic expression uses set on fire in the sense of “arouse excitement in.” Also see set on fire, def. 2.

Example Sentences

"It's hard to measure what they consider to be a success with that one... it's still invite only and hasn't really set the world on fire," says Neil Long, the founder and editor of mobilegamer.biz, and who has been a video games journalist for more than 20 years.

From BBC

They will gladly help set the world on fire as long as they can bid on the contract to clear the debris.

From Slate

As we continue to set the world on fire, regardless of a certain administration's attempts to pretend it's not happening, scientists warn we are in unprecedented territory that could result in a whole bunch of death, especially for impoverished people in the global south and the ongoing "biological holocaust" happening to nature.

From Salon

In the following decade, the eugenic gospel would set the world on fire through one of Madison Grant’s most famous fans.

From Salon

Forget the debate over the word “fascist” and whether it only applies to a handful of dead guys in Europe: What if I told you that Donald Trump is a psychopathic killer, one inclined to the use all the power and might of the American armed forces like a child with matches who has been unjustly deprived of a nap and is determined to set the world on fire?

From Salon