catch fire
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catch fire
verb catches fire · catching fire · caught fire · catch on fire
-
To become engulfed in flames, to go up in flames.
Ships' logs noted observations of the northern lights as far south as the Caribbean, and telegraph systems across the world were disrupted as electrical currents were induced in the copper lines. Several telegraph operators received electric shocks and some telegraph stations even caught fire.
Similar: catch flame, go on fire, go up in flames, go up in smoke, catch fire, catch on fire, combust, conflagrate, fire, ignite, light, spunk
- To become very popular or widespread; to take off. 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.
- To be inspired by passion or zeal.
Thesaurus
Translations
Every language
verb become engulfed in flames
| Español | prender fuego |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 인화(引火)하다 inhwahada, 발화(發火)하다 balhwahada |
| 日本語 | 引火する inka suru |
| 中文 | 起火 qǐhuǒ, 著火 zháohuǒ, 失火 shīhuǒ, 發火 /发火 fāhuǒ |
| Português | pegar fogo |
| Français | s'enflammer, prendre feu |
| Deutsch | Feuer fangen, entflammen |
| Italiano | infiammarsi, prendere fuoco |
| Русский | загора́ться zagorátʹsja, загоре́ться zagorétʹsja, возгора́ться vozgorátʹsja, возгоре́ться vozgorétʹsja |
| العربية | اِشْتَعَلَ ištaʕala |
Talk about this word "catch fire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/catch%20fire. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. catch fire. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/catch%20fire "catch fire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/catch%20fire.Cite this
@misc{catch_fire_2026,
title = {catch fire},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/catch%20fire},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
