Meanings
verbset on fire (third-person singular simple present sets on fire, present participle setting on fire, simple past set on fire, past participle set on fire or (dialectal) setten on fire)
present singular third person sets on fire · participle present setting on fire · dialectal participle past setten on fire
- transitiveTo cause to begin to burn.
I don't want to set the world on fire / I just want to start a flame in your heart
1941 [1938], Bennie Benjamin, Eddie Durham, Sol Marcus, Eddie Seiler, “I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire” (0:05 from the start), performed by The Ink Spots, DeccaSynonyms: set afire, set alight, set fire to, set ablaze, set aflame, aflame, alight, conflagrate
- figurativelytransitiveTo arouse passionate feelings in.
You set my heart on fire.
Synonyms: set fire to, inflame, ignite, inspire, excite, rouse, animate, awaken
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo cause to begin to burn.
Similar
set afireset alightset fire toset ablazeset aflameaflamealightconflagratefirefire upigniteinflameenkindlelightlight upset ablazeset afireset aflameset alightset fire
verbTo arouse passionate feelings in.
More synonyms by meaning
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Arabic أَحَرَقَ
- أَحَرَقَ (ʔaḥaraqa)cause to begin to burn
Bulgarian паля, запалвам
- паля (palja)cause to begin to burn
- запалвам (zapalvam)cause to begin to burn
Catalan encendre
- encendrecause to begin to burn
Chinese Cantonese 焚燒 /焚烧
- 焚燒 /焚烧 (fan⁴ siu¹)cause to begin to burn
Chinese Mandarin 放火, 點火 /点火
- 放火 (fànghuǒ)cause to begin to burn
- 點火 /点火 (diǎnhuǒ)cause to begin to burn
- 縱火 /纵火 (zònghuǒ)cause to begin to burn
Czech zapálit
- zapálitcause to begin to burn
Dutch in brand steken, aansteken
- in brand stekencause to begin to burn
- aanstekencause to begin to burn
Esperanto ekbruligi
- ekbruligicause to begin to burn
Finnish sytyttää, sytyttää
- sytyttääcause to begin to burn
- sytyttääarouse passionate feelings in
French allumer, enflammer
- allumercause to begin to burn
- enflammercause to begin to burn
- embrasercause to begin to burn
German anzünden, entzünden
- anzündencause to begin to burn
- entzündencause to begin to burn
- entflammenarouse passionate feelings in
Greek βάζω φωτιά
- βάζω φωτιά (vázo fotiá)cause to begin to burn
Hebrew הצית, הדליק
- הצית (hitsít)cause to begin to burn
- הדליק (hidlík)cause to begin to burn
- הצית (hitsít)arouse passionate feelings in
Hindi तापना, जलाना
- तापना (tāpnā)cause to begin to burn
- जलाना (jalānā)cause to begin to burn
Hungarian felgyújt, meggyújt
- felgyújtcause to begin to burn
- meggyújtcause to begin to burn
- lángra gyújtarouse passionate feelings in
- lángra lobbantarouse passionate feelings in
Indonesian membakar
- membakarcause to begin to burn
Italian incendiare, dare fuoco a
- incendiarecause to begin to burn
- dare fuoco acause to begin to burn
Japanese 火を付ける, 着火する
- 火を付ける (hi o tsukeru)cause to begin to burn
- 着火する (chakka suru)cause to begin to burn
- 点火する (tenka suru)cause to begin to burn
- 放火する (hōka suru)cause to begin to burn
Korean 불을 지르다, 점화(點火)하다
- 불을 지르다 (bur-eul jireuda)cause to begin to burn
- 점화(點火)하다 (jeomhwahada)cause to begin to burn
- 방화(放火)하다 (banghwahada)cause to begin to burn
Latin incendō, igniō
- incendōcause to begin to burn
- igniōcause to begin to burn
- accendōcause to begin to burn
- flammōcause to begin to burn
Latvian aizdedzināt
- aizdedzinātcause to begin to burn
Lithuanian padegti, sujaudinti
- padegticause to begin to burn
- sujaudintiarouse passionate feelings in
Malay bakar
- bakarcause to begin to burn
Polish podpalić, zapalić
- podpalićcause to begin to burn
- zapalićcause to begin to burn
Portuguese queimar, atear
- queimarcause to begin to burn
- atearcause to begin to burn
- incendiarcause to begin to burn
- colocar fogocause to begin to burn
- botar/tacar fogocause to begin to burn
- acalentararouse passionate feelings in
Romanian da foc
- da foccause to begin to burn
Russian подже́чь, заже́чь
- подже́чь (podžéčʹ)cause to begin to burn
- заже́чь (zažéčʹ)cause to begin to burn
- запали́ть (zapalítʹ)cause to begin to burn
- разже́чь (razžéčʹ)arouse passionate feelings in
Slovak zapáliť, podpáliť
- zapáliťcause to begin to burn
- podpáliťcause to begin to burn
Spanish pegar fuego, prender fuego
- pegar fuegocause to begin to burn
- prender fuegocause to begin to burn
- incendiarcause to begin to burn
- encendercause to begin to burn
- alumbrarcause to begin to burn
- encenderarouse passionate feelings in
- calentararouse passionate feelings in
Swedish sätta eld på, antända
- sätta eld påcause to begin to burn
- antändacause to begin to burn
- sätta i brandcause to begin to burn
- sätta fyr påcause to begin to burn
- sätta i brandarouse passionate feelings in
Tamil கொளுத்து
- கொளுத்து (koḷuttu)cause to begin to burn
Thai จุด, จุดไฟ
- จุด (jùt)cause to begin to burn
- จุดไฟcause to begin to burn
Turkish yakmak
- yakmakcause to begin to burn
Ukrainian підпа́лювати, підпали́ти
- підпа́лювати (pidpáljuvaty)cause to begin to burn
- підпали́ти (pidpalýty)cause to begin to burn
Vietnamese đốt, phóng hoả
- đốtcause to begin to burn
- phóng hoảcause to begin to burn
Cite this entry
APA
set on fire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/set%20on%20fire
MLA
“set on fire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/set%20on%20fire. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “set on fire,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/set%20on%20fire.
Source: set on fire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.