Catch fire
Catch fire verb - Start to burn or burst into flames.
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Synonyms for Catch fire
Explode and catch fire are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Explode" instead a verb phrase "Catch fire".
Explode
Explode verb - To break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure.
Catch fire and explode are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Catch fire" instead a verb "Explode".
Both terms in one sentence
- Everything electrical, from generators to controls routinely catch fire or explode, despite there being nothing in the typical device that is capable of such reactions.
Source: Failsafe Failure -
Every Car Is a Pinto: A few police vehicles catch fire or explode during the raid in UnWholly.
Source: Literature / Unwind - Unfortunately, the same gas circulates in their blood, making it both acidic and hypergolic; such baldricks, when badly injured, tend to catch fire or explode.
Source: Literature / The Salvation War
Cite this Source
Explode and Catch fire. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/catch_fire/explode
Catch fire & Explode. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/catch_fire/explode>.
Explode or Catch fire. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/catch_fire/explode.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "catch fire" and "explode" have occurred on timeline