on fire

English · Thesaurus

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on fire

Where it comes from

From Middle English on fier, on fijre, on fire, on fyire, on fyre.

phrase

  1. Being burned by fire. If the wind picks up and the flames spread, the whole town could go on fire.

    Similar: afire, aflame, alight, burning, flaming, in flames, go up in smoke

  2. idiomatic Overwhelmed with emotion; beside oneself. Anytime I am on fire with anxiety about the future, or totally freaking out that I am not being seen, heard, or treated fairly based on my old wounds, it is easy for me to RECOGNIZE that my Character 2 has flared right up in an attempt to not only protect me but help me get my needs met.
  3. idiomatic Excited, enthusiastic or passionate. “I'm on fire with an idea,” the 48-year-old businessman proclaimed with excitement similar to that which he projected in 1971 when his company became the first predominantly Black-owned corporation to be listed on the American Stock Exchange.
  4. idiomatic Doing very well; achieving good results at a rapid rate. That striker has scored four goals so far – he's on fire!

    Similar: on a roll, on a tear

  5. idiomatic, informal Sexually aroused.
  6. excessive, of a body part Experiencing a burning-like sensation, especially "the burn" (from buildup of lactic acid) He locks us into a crouched position that results in muscle failure of the quads, hamstrings, and calves. It hurts. We raise ten-pound rubber rifles and hold them parallel to the ground. Our legs are on fire, then our arms too.

Translations

Every language

prep_phrase being burned by fire

Españolen fuego, en llamas
Portuguêspegando fogo, em chamas
Françaisen feu
Deutschin Brand, in Flammen
Italianoin fiamme
Românăîn flăcări
Русскийв огне́ v ogné

prep_phrase rapidly achieving good results

Españolen fuego, en racha, a tope
Deutscheinen Lauf haben
Русскийв уда́ре v udáre

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Cite this
MLA

"on fire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/on%20fire. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

APA

on fire. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/on%20fire

Chicago

"on fire." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/on%20fire.

BibTeX
@misc{on_fire_2026,
  title = {on fire},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/on%20fire},
  urldate = {2026-11-07}
}