Phrasal verb
fire up
Definition
phrasal verb. to start a machine or a computer program; it can also mean to make someone feel very excited or angry.
phrasal verb. to initiate the operation of an engine, device, or software application; figuratively, to stimulate intense emotion or enthusiasm in an individual or group.
Examples
“I need to fire up my laptop before the meeting starts.”
“The coach gave a powerful speech to fire up the players before the championship game.”
“As soon as the engineers fire up the main turbines, the entire facility begins to vibrate with immense power.”
Examples
simple
“I need to fire up my laptop before the meeting starts.”
contextual
“The coach gave a powerful speech to fire up the players before the championship game.”
complex
“As soon as the engineers fire up the main turbines, the entire facility begins to vibrate with immense power.”
Usage
often used with machines, software, or groups of people as the object.
Teaching tip
help students connect the literal sense of 'starting a fire' in an engine to the figurative sense of 'igniting' someone's emotions.
Pitfall
He fired up it.
He fired it up.
when the object is a pronoun like 'it', it must go between the verb and the particle.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
fire + up + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/fire-up