adj, adv ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   On fire (often metaphorically).

Adjective

1. 1
   lighted up by or as by fire or flame wordnet

Adverb

1. 1
   On fire (often metaphorically).

Synonyms

All synonyms

ablazeaflameon fireabandonedablazeablaze

Example

More examples

"He came tearing around the corner, driving like a maniac, going like a house afire."

Etymology

13ᵗʰc., from Middle English afire, equivalent to a- (“on”) + fire. Figurative usage from late 14ᵗʰc.

Related phrases

chimney's afirelike a house afireset afireset the world afire

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.