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

Now they fire off messages from their phones and computers day and night.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

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

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

Maybe he'll find the fire off the bench.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2025

He screamed as he rolled in the dirt, slapping the fire off.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah