fan the flames

1. Intensify or stir up feelings; exacerbate an explosive situation. For example, She already found him attractive, but his letters really fanned the flames, or His speech fanned the flames of racial dissension.

Example Sentences

These are the kind of ingredients that could fan the flames in the Epstein story as summer turns to autumn.

From BBC

Rather than fan the flames of a recently intense division rivalry, he advocated for calm.

From Los Angeles Times

“We will not obey in advance. We will not turn our gaze. We will not fan the flames of extremism. We will not answer violence with violence,” said Rabbi Sharon Brous, in an impassioned speech in which she likened Trump to the “authoritarian” Pharoah who oppressed Jews in the Bible.

From Los Angeles Times

"The only source for these misleading, exaggerated, and utterly fabricated stories came from Hamas sources, which are designed to fan the flames of antisemitic hate that is arguably contributing to violence against Jews in the United States," he added.

From BBC

In court documents, Drake claimed that Universal knew that Lamar's lyrics were false but "continued to fan the flames" of the controversy for profit.

From BBC

Related Words

• aggravate 
• annoy 
• heighten 
• inflame 
• intensify 
• irritate 
• provoke 
• worsen