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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 resolution also encourages teaching about the trade-offs that arise from depicting a spherical planet on a flat map.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Her state requires such instruction in public high schools and encourages age-appropriate instruction earlier.
    — Jennifer Peltz, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of encourages
Verb
  • 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
  • The rooms were part of Kusama’s ongoing exploration of self-obliteration and her career-long ambition to create work that provokes a keen awareness of both one’s individual insignificance and place in the wider cosmic system.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of provokes
Verb
  • Research also shows Mānuka stimulates keratinocytes—the cells that make up about 90 percent of the skin’s surface—to proliferate and migrate faster.
    — Lauren Valenti, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Muscle is what puts tension on the bones — good tension that stimulates bone cell turnover, Prather says.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 8 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 16 Sep. 2026.

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