fire away

British

verb

informal (intr, adverb; often imperative) to begin to speak or to ask questions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fire away Idioms

Start to talk or ask questions. For example, You've got more questions? Well, fire away. This expression originated in the 1600s as a military command to discharge firearms and was being transferred to other actions by the late 1700s. Also see fire off.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They managed to keep the fire away from nearby homes, containing it to some empty plots of land.

From New York Times • Aug. 23, 2023

"We kept the fire away from homes," Stathis Topalidis, deputy mayor of Menidi, told state broadcaster ERT on Wednesday.

From Reuters • Aug. 23, 2023

The wind was blowing from the south, keeping the fire away.

From Washington Times • Sep. 2, 2022

Fixed-wing aircraft dropped retardant on the vegetation backing up to the homes to keep the fire away.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2022

He stood there straight as if at attention and then commanded me with a raised hand to fire away.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023