under fire

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

under fire

But the idea that oxygen has always been beneficial for all eukaryotes has come under fire in recent years.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

Meta, alongside other social media apps, is under fire around the world as 2026 is shaping up to be a year of reckoning for the entire industry - perhaps our days of doomscrolling are numbered.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Many vessels have instead chosen to take a southern route, close to Oman on the opposite side of the strait, occasionally coming under fire.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

CBS News head Bari Weiss, whom Ellison brought on when he bought her company Free Press, last year, has been under fire for changes she is enacting at the news organization.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Think of her three years ago, a weeping jelly of fear under fire.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein