catch fire

phrase

1

: to become ignited

2

: to become fired with enthusiasm

3

: to increase greatly in scope, popularity, interest, or effectiveness

The idea failed to catch fire.

Examples of catch fire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After the crash, the motorcycle caught fire and was engulfed in flames, police said. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026

One tanker was off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Kleban ended up delaying the start of his campaign, not getting in until Platner had already caught fire. — Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 7 July 2026

The Volkswagen caught fire, which was extinguished by the same officers who attempted the earlier traffic stop, according to the release. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 7 July 2026

Rhymes for catch fire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar