fires (up)

verb

present tense third-person singular of fire (up)
as in encourages
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 fires (up)
  1. encourages
  2. provokes
  3. stimulates
Verb
  • Meta encourages its users to name their AIs—and encourages its AIs to think like humans.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Scott-Chandler says assistance will be available for those who qualify and encourages families not to hesitate to seek help.
    — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of encourages
Verb
  • Another question, says Professor Trotti at Ithaca College, is whether a public execution portrays strength or provokes horror.
    — Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 2026
  • In deceptively plain diction, the hurdle of one love relationship provokes an exploration of desire and belonging.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of provokes
Verb
  • The glasses project light onto 378 pixels in the implant, which converts those light patterns into an electrical current that stimulates the retina’s bipolar cells.
    — Erica Sweeney, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Observation generates hypotheses; hypotheses lead to anatomical investigation; anatomy stimulates physiological questions; physiology eventually produces clinical trials.
    — Subramaniam C. Krishnan, STAT, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of stimulates
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

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

“Fires (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fires%20%28up%29. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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