Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to begin to fume

to begin to fume

5.8
Start to show obvious anger, often with a red face and raised voice
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : comenzar a hervir
  • Whenever he was criticized in public, he would begin to fume and clench his fists.

Examples

  • Don't begin to fume!

  • You could tell she was beginning to fume when her face turned red and she started raising her voice.

  • She tried to stay calm, but after hearing the unfair accusation, she began to fume.

  • She began to fume after hearing the news.

  • When she realized she had been ignored, she began to fume with irritation.

  • After waiting for an hour, he started to fume at the delay in service.

  • As the manager continued to criticize her work, she could feel herself begin to fume with anger.

Synonyms

to boil
vsto begin to fume
  • Informal
114 5.5

To become very angry or excited

shows visible anger early rather than intense agitation
to fume
vsto begin to fume
22 6.3

To feel very angry without showing it

displays anger visibly at first rather than hiding it
to sizzle
vsto begin to fume
8 5.6

To feel very angry inside without showing it

shows anger outwardly instead of silently simmering

Antonyms

to calm down
  • Informal
594 1.4

To become less angry, excited, or upset

to reconcile
38 5.1

To become friendly again after a disagreement

How Angry

to rage
84 4.8
to begin to fume
5.8
irritation
27 3.6

Surface Forms

begin to fume infinitive
began to fume past
begun to fume past participle
beginning to fume present participle
begins to fume third person singular

Morphology

begin + to + fume

The meaning is a direct composition of 'begin' (to start) + 'to' (infinitive marker) + 'fume' (to show anger), so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer 'start to display anger'. This is a regular, productive verb + to-infinitive pattern found in many languages, making the phrase immediately predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Begin to fume may come from the image behind the word fume: a kettle or engine giving off steam or smoke when it gets hot. So, when a person begins to fume it means 'start to show anger'.