catch fire

1. Be ignited, as in This wood is dry enough to catch fire . [c. 1600] Also see set on fire .

2. Become inflamed with enthusiasm or passion, as in His ideas caught fire all over the country . [Early 1700s]

Example Sentences

The court has heard that they went on the run after police found a placenta on the back seat of their car, which had caught fire on the M62.

From BBC

Workers who handle them, he said, sometimes wonder: “Is it going to catch fire? Is it going to become a projectile?”

From Los Angeles Times

In 2023, 29 people died - many of them elderly - and dozens were injured after a private hospital in Beijing caught fire.

From BBC

A car caught fire in the Pixar Pals parking lot at Disneyland on Friday morning and spread to numerous vehicles, the Anaheim Fire Department said.

From Los Angeles Times

The inquest heard Filip and Ms McEnroe were still alive when the Toyota they were travelling in caught fire, while the other two occupants died in the impact.

From BBC

Related Words

• burn
• flare up
• inflame
• kindle