misfire Hear it!

misfire Definition

mis·fire (mis fīr)

intransitive verb -·fired, -·fir·ing

  1. to fail to ignite properly or at the right time: said of an internal-combustion engine
  2. to fail to go off, or be discharged: said of a firearm, missile, etc.
  3. to fail to achieve a desired effect

Etymology: mis- + fire, v.

noun

an act or instance of misfiring

misfire Synonyms

misfire

v.

fail to fire, miss, fizzle out*; see explode 1, fail 1.

misfire Usage Examples

Object

  • alarm: What can I do to stop a misfiring car alarm?
  • engine: A number of teams had a day to forget: Autocare retired early with broken steering geometry and Andy Racing with a misfiring engine.
  • problem: Worst Flight: 1. Site 1, 8 take-offs in a row, trying to spot a misfire problem - loose HT bolt!
  • joke: He never once lost the audience, from either fatigue or a misfired joke.
  • striker: Clearly frustrated by his misfiring strikers, Le Guen introduced Boyd at the start of the second half, Charlie Adam making way.
  • attempt: I'm sure there was, at one point, a misfired attempt to rename Beat 106 to Beat FM.

Preposition: at

end: Anthony Taylor's Aristocat started misfiring at the end with a burst water hose.

Adjective complement

due: This reduces the danger of misfiring due to overheating and extends the safe operational range of the plug into higher temperatures.

Modifying Another Word

  • badly: Previous government attempts to manipulate the pound have badly misfired.
  • still: A misfire still plagued the Sprite, various electrical checks ongoing.
  • no: Start the engine and make sure that there is no misfiring due to water ingress or condensation under the bonnet.
  • just: Even then, she never actually stopped - just misfired a tad!
  • due: Start the engine and make sure that there is no misfiring due to water ingress or condensation under the bonnet.
  • slightly: The glaze has been slightly misfired on the foot.

Used with why or when

  • that: Dave Lowe's miserable season continued with the same electrical misfire that has bedeviled him all season, costing him around 0.7s.
  • when: The only time I knew there was a problem was when the car started to misfire when in long traffic jams.

Preposition: from

start: Analyze That is a misfire from start to finish, a painful example of why the law of diminishing returns usually applies to sequels.

Browse dictionary entries near misfire

  1. misfile
  2. misfeasance
  3. misestimate
  4. misesteem
  5. misery
  6. miserly
  7. misericord
  8. Miserere
  9. miserably
  10. miserable
  1. misfit
  2. misfortune
  3. misgive
  4. misgiving
  5. misgovern
  6. misguide
  7. misguided
  8. mishandle
  9. mishanter
  10. mishap