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

The former fourth overall pick caught fire, knocking down three 3-pointers in the third quarter to cut the lead to one point. — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Friday that a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil struck a naval mine, exploded and caught fire while using an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. — Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2026

Klay Thompson was the star of the third quarter, catching fire to score 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range in the period. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2026

All lanes of Interstate 880 in Hayward are open Wednesday morning after an electric Tesla semitruck caught fire on the freeway during the Tuesday evening commute. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 28 Oct. 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