baptism of fire
noun phrase
variants
or chiefly US baptism by fire
1
: an introductory or initial experience that is a severe ordeal
especially
: a soldier's first exposure to enemy fire
2
: a spiritual baptism by a gift of the Holy Spirit
—often used in allusion to Acts 2:3–4; Matthew 3:11 (Revised Standard Version)
Examples of baptism of fire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Under an intense spotlight, Legge’s debut was a baptism of fire.
—
Don Riddell, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025
In the world of academia, the pursuit of tenure is a baptism of fire to prove one’s research significance and serves as a rite of passage marking a major milestone in one’s career.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Some of that can be attributed to young players such as Jordan Beck, Hunter Goodman and Aaron Schunk getting their baptism of fire against big-league pitchers.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2024
More than that, a baptism of fire gave Foley the confidence to go forward with his new passion.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 30 July 2023
The Bradley vehicles recently saw a brutal baptism of fire in Ukrainian service assaulting a Russian minefield.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 5 July 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Don Riddell, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025
In the world of academia, the pursuit of tenure is a baptism of fire to prove one’s research significance and serves as a rite of passage marking a major milestone in one’s career.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Some of that can be attributed to young players such as Jordan Beck, Hunter Goodman and Aaron Schunk getting their baptism of fire against big-league pitchers.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2024
More than that, a baptism of fire gave Foley the confidence to go forward with his new passion.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 30 July 2023
The Bradley vehicles recently saw a brutal baptism of fire in Ukrainian service assaulting a Russian minefield.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 5 July 2023
Cite this Entry
“Baptism of fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baptism%20of%20fire. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share