add fuel to the fire
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add fuel to the fire
verb adds fuel to the fire · adding fuel to the fire · added fuel to the fire · add fuel to fire · add flame to the fire
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To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.
Instead of apologizing to his girlfriend, he decided to add fuel to the fire.
Similar: add insult to injury, fan the flames, add fuel to the flame, pour gasoline on the fire, throw gasoline on the fire, throw gas on the fire, add fuel to the fire, cap it all off, make matters worse, With malice, hit someone when they are down, kick a dog when it's down · Opposite: pour oil on troubled waters, clear the air
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see add, fuel, fire.
Translations
Every language
verb worsen a conflict
| Español | echar leña al fuego, echar gasolina al fuego, ya escampa y llovían guijarros, dar pábulo, añadir lumbre al fuego |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 鬼に金棒 oni ni kanabō |
| 中文 | 火上澆油 /火上浇油 huǒshàngjiāoyóu, 火上加油 huǒshàngjiāyóu |
| हिन्दी | जलती आग में घी डालना jaltī āg mẽ ghī ḍālnā |
| Português | pôr lenha na fogueira, colocar lenha na fogueira, deitar lenha na fogueira |
| Français | jeter de l'huile sur le feu, mettre de l'huile sur le feu |
| Deutsch | Öl ins Feuer gießen |
| Italiano | aggiungere esca al fuoco, mettere benzina sul fuoco |
| Ελληνικά | ρίχνω λάδι στη φωτιά ríchno ládi sti fotiá, όλα του γάμου δύσκολα κι η νύφη γκαστρωμένη óla tou gámou dýskola ki i nýfi gkastroméni |
| Română | pune paie pe foc, pune gaz pe foc, turna ulei pe foc |
| Русский | подлива́ть ма́сло в ого́нь podlivátʹ máslo v ogónʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | đổ dầu vào lửa, đổ thêm dầu vào lửa, thêm dầu vào lửa |
| العربية | صَبَّ اَلزَّيْت عَلَى اَلنَّار ṣabba z-zayt ʕalā n-nār, زَادَ اَلنَّار حَطَباً zāda n-nār ḥaṭaban |
| עברית | הוֹסִיף שֶׁמֶן לַמְּדוּרָה hosíf shémen lamm'durá |
Talk about this word "add fuel to the fire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/add%20fuel%20to%20the%20fire. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. add fuel to the fire. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/add%20fuel%20to%20the%20fire "add fuel to the fire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/add%20fuel%20to%20the%20fire.Cite this
@misc{add_fuel_to_the_fire_2026,
title = {add fuel to the fire},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/add%20fuel%20to%20the%20fire},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
