catch on fire

English

Verb

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

1. (informal, sometimes proscribed) Synonym of catch fire

Usage notes

Many authorities proscribe catch on fire as an ungrammatical error for catch fire, in which catch is a transitive verb with the object fire. Nevertheless the use with on is common, particularly in speech.