catch fire
catch fire — idiom
- catch firebase form
- catches firethird-person singular
- caught firepast tense
- catching firepresent participle
1. to begin burning or start to burn
to begin burning or start to burn
The curtains caught fire when a candle fell over.
caught fire
Dry grass can catch fire after weeks without rain.
catch fire
The pan caught fire before the cook turned off the gas.
Old newspapers caught fire beside the kitchen heater.
- ignite
more formal or technical
- burst into flames
more dramatic; suggests sudden visible flames
- go out
to stop burning
文法句型
catch fire
catch fire from + noun
catch fire after + event
用法筆記
Use this sense for a physical object or material that starts burning.
常見錯誤
Incorrect: 'The blanket caught a fire.' Correct: 'The blanket caught fire.' Do not use an article in this idiom.
2. to suddenly feel strong excitement, energy, or enthusiasm
to suddenly feel strong excitement, energy, or enthusiasm
The crowd caught fire after the first goal.
caught fire
Her imagination caught fire when she saw the old map.
caught fire
The audience caught fire during the final song.
The team caught fire after the coach's speech.
- come alive
become lively or energetic
- get excited
more direct and common in everyday speech
- lose interest
to stop feeling interested or excited
文法句型
a crowd catches fire
someone's imagination catches fire
an audience catches fire
用法筆記
This figurative sense usually describes people, a crowd, or someone's imagination becoming excited.
常見錯誤
Incorrect: 'The crowd caught fire to the speech.' Correct: 'The crowd caught fire during the speech.'
3. to spread quickly or become very popular, interesting, or effective
to spread quickly or become very popular, interesting, or effective
The recipe caught fire online after one short video.
caught fire online
The campaign caught fire once students shared the poster.
caught fire
Their simple idea caught fire across the whole company.
The safety plan caught fire in hospitals nationwide.
- fizzle out
to gradually fail or lose attention
文法句型
an idea catches fire
a trend catches fire
catch fire online
用法筆記
This figurative sense is common for ideas, trends, campaigns, products, or online content that suddenly becomes widely noticed.
常見錯誤
Incorrect: 'The app caught fire to users.' Correct: 'The app caught fire with users' or 'The app caught fire online.'