fire off

Idioms  

1. Say or write and send away rapidly, as in He fired off three more questions, or She fired off a letter of complaint to the president. This expression originally (from about 1700) was, and still is, used in the sense of “discharge a weapon or ammunition,” as in The police were instructed to fire off canisters of tear gas. The figurative use dates from the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

The BOT can fire off more rate cuts, but it is running out of ammunition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Jerry Stiller was protective of his son’s showbiz ambitions, so much so that if a critic gave Ben a bad review, Jerry would sit down and fire off a letter.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025

He said it was likely airports in Spain and Portugal have independent power supplies, "which will see big diesel generators which fire off when it senses no power from its usual grid supply".

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2025

A British tourist has been reported missing in Thailand after a boat caught fire off the coast of the island of Koh Tao.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2025

“I would have written the blue fire off to rumor if you hadn’t been here to confirm it.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss