catch fire

English

Verb

catch fire (third-person singular simple present catches fire, present participle catching fire, simple past and past participle caught fire)

1. (idiomatic) To become engulfed in flames.
2. (figuratively) To become very popular or widespread; to take off.
   • 2002, Latifa Al-Zayyat, ‎Marilyn Booth, The Open Door (page 9)

     The news caught fire through the school, and Layla found herself — a mere first-year student at the secondary school — the center of attention and admiration.

Translations

become engulfed in flames

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 起火 (zh) (qǐhuǒ), 失火 (zh) (shīhuǒ), 發火 (zh), 发火 (zh) (fāhuǒ)

• Esperanto: bruliĝi
• Finnish: syttyä tuleen
• French: s'enflammer (fr)
• German: Feuer fangen, entflammen (de)
• Japanese: 引火する (いんかする, inka suru)

• Norwegian: antenne, ta fyr
• Portuguese: pegar fogo
• Russian: загора́ться (ru) impf (zagorátʹsja), загоре́ться (ru) pf (zagorétʹsja), возгора́ться (ru) impf (vozgorátʹsja), возгоре́ться (ru) pf (vozgorétʹsja)
• Slovene: vneti se
• Spanish: prender (es)
• Swedish: ta eld, börja brinna, ta fyr
• Walloon: prinde feu