Phrase guide

irons in the fire

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Tasks in progress; involvement in ongoing projects.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Describing a blacksmith working on several pieces at the same time.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Danish: have mange jern i ilden — Translations
  • Finnish: monta rautaa tulessa — Translations
  • German: Eisen im Feuer — Translations
  • Icelandic: hafa mörg járn í eldinum — Translations
  • Icelandic: vera ekki við eina fjölina felldur — Translations
  • Icelandic: hafa margt í takinu — Translations
  • Icelandic: vasast í mörgu — Translations
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ha mange jarn i elden — Translations
  • Polish: zadania — Translations