fire (up)

verb

Definition of fire (up)next
as in to provoke
to rouse to strong feeling or action the dynamic speaker fired up the audience as no one had previously done

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fire (up)
  1. provoke
  2. encourage
  3. stimulate
Verb
  • One of its major objectives was to provoke Western states into attacking their own democracies, in a kind of auto-immune response to terrorism, in which the effort to defend the political body corroded it from within.
    — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The development provokes a leadership shake-up on both committees, prompting speculation on who will fill the spots when the next Congress opens in January.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of provoke
Verb
  • Bunch said that one of his goals in the head role was to encourage Americans to embrace ambiguity and recognize that America is a complicated, multifaceted nation.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The stated purpose would be to encourage more people to fill out the forms without fear of having their privacy violated.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of encourage
Verb
  • Opposition leaders say Meloni’s government has yet to find concrete ways to stimulate long-term economic growth beyond just controlling public debt and state deficits.
    — Silvia Stellacci, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Once inside the brain, the nanoparticles would be controlled—to stimulate neurons in specific areas of the brain or to read neuron activity—through a specialized cap or headset containing magnetic coils.
    — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of stimulate
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.

Browse Nearby Words

fires (up)
fire (up)
firewater
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Cite this Entry

“Fire (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fire%20%28up%29. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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