fire sale
A clearance sale at greatly reduced prices, often at losses.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The store is having a fire sale on all winter clothes.”
“The bookstore sells every hardback for one dollar during this weekend's fire sale.”
“Because the business is closing next week, they are holding a fire sale to clear out their remaining inventory.”
“After the tech startup lost its main investor, the founders held a fire sale of their office furniture and high-end computers to pay the final rent.”
“Facing imminent bankruptcy, the company initiated a desperate fire sale of its assets to satisfy the demands of its primary creditors.”
Nineteenth-century metonymy, from the practice of offering products at a significant discount following a fire. The term described goods that had either sustained direct damage from the flames or required immediate liquidation because their storage facility had been destroyed, rendering further retention impossible. By the end of the century, the necessity of selling items before they lost all value had established the phrase in the lexicon of commerce.
- 01
add fuel to the fire
To worsen a conflict between people; to inflame an already tense situation.
- 02
ball of fire
A person who is especially active, ambitious, hard-working, or high-achieving.
- 03
catch fire
To become engulfed in flames, to combust.
- 04
draw fire
To create a distraction that allows one's friends, co-workers, or other associates to gain an advantage over the distracted party.
- 05
escape fire
An unconventional or counterintuitive solution to a difficult problem.
- 06
feed the fire
Synonym of add fuel to the fire.
- 07
fight fire with fire
To respond to an attack with a similar or identical counter-attack (e.g. to respond to gunfire with reciprocal gunfire).
- 08
fight fires
To deal with urgent matters and minor emergencies rather than longer-term work.
Last updated August 10, 2026