fire up

1. Inflame with enthusiasm, anger, or another strong emotion, as in Her speech fired up the crowd in favor of her proposals . This expression dates from the early 1800s, when it referred literally to starting a fire in a furnace or boiler; its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.

2. Start the ignition of an engine, as in Whenever he tried to fire up the motor, it stalled . [Mid-1900s]

3. Light a pipe, cigar, or cigarette, as in Do you mind if I fire up? [Late 1800s] A more common term, however, is light up , def. 2.

Example Sentences

Amid explosions and darkened skies, the crew at Mountain High ski resort jumped into action, firing up a hundred snow cannons to douse the flames with water.

From Los Angeles Times

Canada’s role in supplying the commodity is made more urgent by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, particularly for the US, which had relied heavily on Russian-supplied enriched uranium to fire up its commercial nuclear reactors.

From BBC

But his legal troubles and his claim that he was being deliberately targeted by the Biden administration only fuelled his campaign and fired up his supporters.

From BBC

The crowd was fired up, delivering cheers for songwriter Natalie Merchant’s rendition of “Put a Woman in Charge” and boos for billionaire tax cuts in equal measure.

From Salon

One of the reasons I am optimistic is because of the gender gap in the polls: Women are fired up.

From Salon

Related Words

• affect
• animate
• arouse
• cause
• embolden
• excite
• galvanize
• get
• hearten
• impress
• influence
• instill
• motivate
• produce
• provoke
• spark
• spur
• stir
• sway
• touch