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
  • The fish were illegally introduced in the 1970s, so the agency encourages anglers to pursue the game fish and keep their catches.
    — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 23 July 2026
  • The European Union has banned AI that encourages dangerous behavior in vulnerable groups like children, and mandated transparency requirements for other chatbots.
    — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
Definition of encourages
Verb
  • In my own research, threatening a man’s sense of manhood – but not a woman’s womanhood – reliably provokes aggression, and the men who react most strongly are those who feel the most pressure to live up to masculine ideals.
    — Adam Stanaland, The Conversation, 20 July 2026
  • However, his light-hearted approach provokes the hostility of the church.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 17 July 2026
Definition of provokes
Verb
  • The percussive vibration unclogs impurities and excess sebum while the accompanying massage motion stimulates blood microcirculation and supports lymphatic drainage—exactly the mechanisms Cirino prioritizes in his professional treatments.
    — Tanya Akim, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • This could be because glycolic acid stimulates collagen production and cell turnover and proliferation (the production of new skin cells).
    — Laura Dorwart, Health, 22 July 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 28 Jul. 2026.

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