ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Misfire

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈmɪs.faɪ(ɹ)/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Misfire is a noun meaning An act of misfiring.

Meaning

An act of misfiring.

More Meanings

  1. (figurative) A failure.
  2. (firearms) To fail to discharge properly.
  3. (of an engine) To fail to ignite in the proper sequence.
  4. (of a nerve or neuron) To initiate an action potential without the proper stimulus.
  5. (by extension) To fail to achieve the anticipated result.

Example Sentences

His practical joke misfired and he nearly burnt my left hand.
Amazon’s misfires with Alexa may have led Google astray, said a former manager who worked on Google Assistant.
The fact is, Mr Carrados, Gertrude is a misfire. It was the surprise of her life (if I said "disappointment" you'd think me catty) when Mark married me, and she didn't set out to be pleasant to the interloper.

Word Forms

Synonyms for misfire

Depending on context, synonyms include dud.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include dud, malfunction, miss, failure, loser, screw-up.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.