set the world on fire

Idioms  

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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

set the world on fire

The Telegraph's Dominic Cavendish also awarded the play three stars and said it needed "a digital-era upgrade, and a shot more vigour, to set the world on fire".

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2024

The boy grows up poor in Tupelo, Miss., and Memphis, finds his way into the Sun Records recording studio at the age of 19, and proceeds to set the world on fire.

From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2022

The actor concluded his thoughts on the matter by noting that the small spark Smollett’s hate crime story created could have "set the world on fire."

From Fox News ● Dec. 13, 2021

Point being, the Huskies’ second-half offenses have not set the world on fire.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2021

The horses soared up to the very top of the sky and then, plunging headlong down, they set the world on fire.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton