on fire
483
1.0
- idiom
- /ɑn faɪər/
- The air was on fire. "I have never even thought it," the old man said.
- set on fire
- be on fire
- a building on fire
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeThat is a flamethrower that is on fire today.
- That is a flamethrower that is on fire today.
- He said if the house is on fire, just get out of the house.
- And you light one on fire and whoosh, it just explodes.
- All at once, the redwoods are on fire in California.
- I saw the, it was just, there was a police car on fire on both ends of my street.
- So the lesson here is that when you see something on fire, everyone's instinct is to run.
- But yeah, it's been roasted on fire this morning.
Examples
-
But within a second, she felt as though her legs and one arm were on fire.
Academic text (2011) -
It's like my belly is on fire, or like my blood is boiling.
-
If my house is on fire I would take this one.
-
My body seemed on fire and I could not sleep.
-
I just woke up across the street, and the church was on fire.
Academic text (2010) -
Some cars are still on fire, and the debris is everywhere.
-
My lips are on fire and I'm in a lot of pain.
-
He said if the house is on fire, just get out of the house.
-
Afore it was over, half of Beldan was on fire or falling down into the streets.
Fiction book (1991) -
There was a car on fire on the side of the road, and smoke filled the air.
Synonyms
171
1.0
Having enough light to see easily
51
1.8
Burning with a bright fire or very bright color
39
3.5
Shining very brightly like the sun
19
5.5
On fire or shining brightly with color
16
6.7
On fire or very full of strong feeling
12
6.0
Burning with fire or full of strong feeling such as desire
11
6.1
Shining with light or small fire, for example candles
7
5.4
Completely covered in flames and burning
Glowing brightly as if lit by fire
Antonyms
How Burning
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase uses a metaphorical extension: 'fire' evokes intensity/excitement and 'on' marks being in that state, so there is a loose compositional link to high activity. However, the specific sense 'performing exceptionally well' is a figurative, language-specific extension that a B1 learner who only knows the literal meanings may not reliably infer without prior exposure.
Etymology
On fire comes from the clear image of flames on something: if a tree or house has fire on it, people say it is on fire. So it means 'burning'.