catch fire
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- catch on fire (sometimes proscribed)
- go on fire (informal, dialectal)
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb[edit]
catch fire (third-person singular simple present catches fire, present participle catching fire, simple past and past participle caught fire)
- (idiomatic) To become engulfed in flames, to combust.
- Synonyms: go up in flames, go up in smoke
- (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.
- 2002, Latifa Al-Zayyat, Marilyn Booth, The Open Door (page 9)
- (figuratively) To be inspired by passion or zeal.
Translations[edit]
become engulfed in flames
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