on fire

prepositional phrase

Being burned by fire.

“That striker has scored four goals so far – he's on fire!”

Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. Being burned by fire.

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

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

  2. idiomaticOverwhelmed 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.

    2022 [2021], Jill Bolte Taylor, “The Brain Huddle: Your Power Tool for Peace”, in Whole Brain Living: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life, Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, →ISBN, page 160
  3. idiomaticExcited, 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.

    1975 November 6, Robert E. Johnson, “The Prodigal Returns To His First Love: The Beauty Industry”, in Jet, volume 49, number 7, page 21
  4. idiomaticDoing very well; achieving good results at a rapid rate.

    That striker has scored four goals so far – he's on fire!

    Synonyms: on a roll, on a tear

  5. idiomaticinformalSexually aroused.
  6. excessiveExperiencing 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.

    2016, Eric Fair, Consequence, page 28

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseBeing burned by fire.

prepositional phraseDoing very well; achieving good results at a rapid rate.

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivelighted up by or as by fire or flame

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishon fier
  2. Englishon fire

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch in brand, in de fik
  • in brandbeing burned by fire
  • in de fikbeing burned by fire
  • in de hensbeing burned by fire
  • in lichterlaaiebeing burned by fire
Finnish tulessa, vauhdissa
  • tulessabeing burned by fire
  • vauhdissarapidly achieving good results
French en feu
  • en feubeing burned by fire
German in Brand, in Flammen
  • in Brandbeing burned by fire
  • in Flammenbeing burned by fire
  • einen Lauf habenrapidly achieving good results
Irish le thine
  • le thinebeing burned by fire
Italian in fiamme
  • in fiammebeing burned by fire
Latin ardens, flagrans
  • ardensbeing burned by fire
  • flagransbeing burned by fire
  • igneusbeing burned by fire
Polish płonący, na fali
  • płonącybeing burned by fire
  • na falirapidly achieving good results
Portuguese pegando fogo, em chamas
  • pegando fogobeing burned by fire
  • em chamasbeing burned by fire
Romanian în flăcări
  • în flăcăribeing burned by fire
Russian в огне́, в уда́ре
  • в огне́ (v ogné)being burned by fire
  • в уда́ре (v udáre)rapidly achieving good results
Spanish en fuego, en llamas
  • en fuegobeing burned by fire
  • en llamasbeing burned by fire
  • en fuegorapidly achieving good results
  • en racharapidly achieving good results
  • a toperapidly achieving good results
Swedish i brand, brinnande
  • i brandbeing burned by fire
  • brinnandebeing burned by fire
Welsh ar dân
  • ar dânbeing burned by fire
Cite this entry
APA

on fire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20fire

MLA

“on fire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20fire. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on fire,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20fire.

Source: on fire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.