add fuel to the fire
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Euphemism for to make a situation worse.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
Phil Collins has become an essential focal point for the band, his success as a solo artist no doubt adding considerable fuel to the fire — and many more of the CD generation to the audience.
London's Evening Standard was moved to add fuel to the fire and proclaim ‘ this year, the long knives were out’, but it was only the tall tales that were really in evidence.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Euphemism (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Equivalents & related
Near equivalent
đổ dầu vào lửa
to add fuel to the fire, to fan the flames
Tiếng Việt
Near equivalent
fan the flames
to make a situation or feeling worse by adding to it
English · via đổ dầu vào lửa
Near equivalent
acquired taste
Something that people may not like initially but learn to appreciate over time
English · via đổ dầu vào lửa
Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.
Common questions
What does “add fuel to the fire” mean?
Euphemism for to make a situation worse.
Is “add fuel to the fire” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“đổ dầu vào lửa” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.