under fire
Criticized or held responsible, as in The landlord is under fire for not repairing the roof. This expression originally referred to being within range of enemy guns; its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.
Words Nearby under fire
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use under fire in a sentence
The lack of a cannon is a particular problem, as the F-35 is being counted on to help out infantrymen under fire.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019 | Dave Majumdar | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTClaiming to be useful against Ebola, autism, and cancer, Young Living Essential Oils came under fire from the FDA.
Honey Boo Boo, Snake Oil, and Ebola: The Weird World of Young Living Essential Oils | Kent Sepkowitz | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere had been rumors of an attack, but no one believed the city would come under fire again.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis | Nina Strochlic | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAuthor Hilary Mantel is under fire for writing a story about killing Margaret Thatcher.
The Strange World of Political Assassination Fantasies | James Poulos | September 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe outspoken MC came under fire for demanding that a kid in a wheelchair stand up and dance at a show on Friday night.
Read Kanye West’s Epic Rant Blasting the Media For ‘Wheelchair-Gate’ | Marlow Stern | September 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Calm under fire, he possessed a sure and penetrating coup d'œil; he had great experience in war.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonAs they drew near they came under fire of our destroyers and of the Anzac guns and were badly knocked about and broken up.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonIt is strange to hear of people playing football out here—we ourselves are under fire every minute.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie | George Brenton LaurieAs we approached these, a heavy fight was in progress, and we came under fire of the spent bullets.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie | George Brenton Laurie(p. 356) Hinks's division of the Eighteenth Corps was composed of colored troops, who had never been under fire.
The Boys of '61 | Charles Carleton Coffin.
Browse