holding someone's feet to the fire

A form of hold someone's feet to the fire — To maintain personal, social, political, or legal pressure on someone in order to induce them to comply with one's desires; to hold someone accountable for their actions.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of hold someone's feet to the fire
Cite this entry
APA

holding someone's feet to the fire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/holding%20someone's%20feet%20to%20the%20fire

MLA

“holding someone's feet to the fire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/holding%20someone's%20feet%20to%20the%20fire. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “holding someone's feet to the fire,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/holding%20someone's%20feet%20to%20the%20fire.

Source: holding someone's feet to the fire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.