afire

adjective or adverb

1
: being on fire : blazing
2
: being in a state of great excitement or energy
her music set the audience afire

Examples of afire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Strong winds and clouds in part forced General Curtis LeMay to change tactics by taking his B-29s to lower elevations and dropping incendiary rather than general-purpose bombs, thereby setting Tokyo afire with napalm. Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 18 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'afire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English afire, afure, from a- a- entry 1 + fire, fure, dative of fir, fur fire entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of afire was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near afire

Cite this Entry

“Afire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afire. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

afire

adjective or adverb
: being on fire

More from Merriam-Webster on afire

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