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

In January 2025, a lithium battery storage facility at the power plant caught fire, leading to 1,200 nearby residents being evacuated and a state of emergency being declared. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

At least four cars and two storage containers burned after the helicopter caught fire. — Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026

The aircraft and several nearby vehicles caught fire upon impact. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026

The pursuit continued north into Valley View, where Grundy’s car crashed on I-35 and caught fire. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for catch fire

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