fire up

phrasal verb

fired up; firing up; fires up

1

: to start (something) by lighting a fire

We fired up the grill for the barbecue.

2

: to cause (something) to start working

I fired up my computer and got down to work.

Before we start working let's fire up the coffeemaker.

3

: to fill (someone) with energy or enthusiasm

The coach fired up the players with a pep talk.

—usually used as (be/get) fired up

We were fired up for the concert.

Examples of fire up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Welfare recipients can’t use ATMs in casinos and pot shops, but that didn’t stop them from firing up EBT cards in Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, California, Florida, and Alaska. —Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 17 Feb. 2026

Apart from managing the relationship with Washington, Takaichi faces the need to strike a balance between regional sensitivities and domestic political gestures that fire up her conservative and nationalist base. —Jeff Kingston, Time, 15 Feb. 2026

The film is already firing up 2026-27 awards season buzz on the back of its double Sundance win. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2026

The right-wing meltdown over Bad Bunny‘s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance had Jon Stewart fired up more than usual on Monday’s episode of The Daily Show. —Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 10 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for fire up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup