fire

[fahyuh r]

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noun

a state, process, or instance of combustion in which fuel or other material is ignited and combined with oxygen, giving off light, heat, and flame.

a burning mass of material, as on a hearth or in a furnace.

the destructive burning of a building, town, forest, etc.; conflagration.

heat used for cooking, especially the lighted burner of a stove: Put the kettle on the fire.

Greek fire.

flashing light; luminous appearance.

brilliance, as of a gem.

burning passion; excitement or enthusiasm; ardor.

liveliness of imagination.

fever or inflammation.

severe trial or trouble; ordeal.

exposure to fire as a means of torture or ordeal.

strength, as of an alcoholic beverage.

a spark or sparks.

the discharge of firearms: enemy fire.

the effect of firing military weapons: to pour fire upon the enemy.

British. a gas or electric heater used for heating a room.

Literary. a luminous object, as a star: heavenly fires.

verb (used with object), fired, fir·ing.

to set on fire.

to supply with fuel; attend to the fire of: They fired the boiler.

to expose to the action of fire; subject to heat.

to apply heat to in a kiln for baking or glazing; burn.

to heat very slowly for the purpose of drying, as tea.

to inflame, as with passion; fill with ardor.

to inspire.

to light or cause to glow as if on fire.

to discharge (a gun).

to project (a bullet or the like) by or as if by discharging from a gun.

to subject to explosion or explosive force, as a mine.

to hurl; throw: to fire a stone through a window.

to dismiss from a job.

Veterinary Medicine. to apply a heated iron to (the skin) in order to create a local inflammation of the superficial structures, with the intention of favorably affecting deeper inflammatory processes.

to drive out or away by or as by fire.

verb (used without object), fired, fir·ing.

to take fire; be kindled.

to glow as if on fire.

to become inflamed with passion; become excited.

to shoot, as a gun.

to discharge a gun: to fire at a fleeing enemy.

to hurl a projectile.

Music. to ring the bells of a chime all at once.

(of plant leaves) to turn yellow or brown before the plant matures.

(of an internal-combustion engine) to cause ignition of the air-fuel mixture in a cylinder or cylinders.

(of a nerve cell) to discharge an electric impulse.

Verb Phrases

fire away, Informal. to begin to talk and continue without slackening, as to ask a series of questions: The reporters fired away at the president.

fire off,

to discharge (as weapons, ammunition, etc.): Police fired off canisters of tear gas.
to write and send hurriedly: She fired off an angry letter to her congressman.

Idioms

between two fires, under physical or verbal attack from two or more sides simultaneously: The senator is between two fires because of his stand on the bill.

build a fire under, Informal. to cause or urge to take action, make a decision quickly, or work faster: If somebody doesn't build a fire under that committee, it will never reach a decision.

catch fire,

Also catch on fire.to become ignited; burn: The sofa caught fire from a lighted cigarette.
to create enthusiasm: His new book did not catch fire among his followers.

fight fire with fire, to use the same tactics as one's opponent; return like for like.

go through fire and water, to brave any danger or endure any trial: He said he would go through fire and water to win her hand.

hang fire,

to be delayed in exploding, or fail to explode.
to be undecided, postponed, or delayed: The new housing project is hanging fire because of concerted opposition.

miss fire,

to fail to explode or discharge, as a firearm.
to fail to produce the desired effect; be unsuccessful: He repeated the joke, but it missed fire the second time.

on fire,

ignited; burning; afire.
eager; ardent; zealous: They were on fire to prove themselves in competition.

play with fire, to trifle with a serious or dangerous matter: He didn't realize that insulting the border guards was playing with fire.

set fire to,

to cause to burn; ignite.
to excite; arouse; inflame: The painting set fire to the composer's imagination.

Also set on fire.

take fire,

to become ignited; burn.
to become inspired with enthusiasm or zeal: Everyone who heard him speak immediately took fire.

under fire,

under attack, especially by military forces.
under censure or criticism: The school administration is under fire for its policies.

Origin of fire

before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English fȳr; cognate with Old Norse fūrr, German Feuer, Greek pŷr (see pyro-); (v.) Middle English firen to kindle, inflame, derivative of the noun

Related formsfir·er, nouncoun·ter·fire, noun, verb (used without object), coun·ter·fired, coun·ter·fir·ing.re·fire, verb, re·fired, re·fir·ing.un·fired, adjective

Can be confuseddownsize fire lay off rightsize terminate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for fired

burned, burning, alight, kindling, glowing, heated, baked, smoldering, smoking, ablaze, afire, incandescent, aflame

Examples from the Web for fired

Contemporary Examples of fired

The NOPD fired Knight in 1973 for stealing lumber from a construction site as an off-duty cop.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise
Jason Berry
January 3, 2015
In 1951, Harry Truman fired Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War.
We Need Our Police to Be Better Than This
Nick Gillespie
December 31, 2014
But others say a still-unidentified man likely fired the round that caused a lethal head wound.
Exclusive: Bin Laden ‘Shooter’ Under Investigation for Leaking Secrets
Shane Harris
December 23, 2014
But LGBT people can still be fired or denied housing in 29 states.
State of LGBT Rights: Married on Sunday, but Fired on Monday
Gene Robinson
December 14, 2014
Cannons were fired in the heart of the tiny principality, which is no bigger than Central Park, to celebrate the news.
Princess Charlene Gives Birth To Twins Gabriella and Jacques
Tom Sykes
December 10, 2014

Historical Examples of fired

Windich and I fired our revolvers at them several times, and chased them up the hill.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
Then, hardly looking at his target, he snapped his rifle back to his shoulder and fired.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
"Naturally," I said with nonchalance, though my quick temper was fired.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
Thus the salutes were fired, and thus the royal birthday was fittingly celebrated.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
I gits half eat by that crazy skate, an' fired without a cent fer it.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser

British Dictionary definitions for fired

fire

noun

the state of combustion in which inflammable material burns, producing heat, flames, and often smoke

a mass of burning coal, wood, etc, used esp in a hearth to heat a room
(in combination)firewood; firelighter

a destructive conflagration, as of a forest, building, etc

a device for heating a room, etc

something resembling a fire in light or brilliancea diamond's fire

a flash or spark of or as if of fire

the act of discharging weapons, artillery, etc
the shells, etc, fired

a burst or rapid volleya fire of questions

intense passion; ardour

liveliness, as of imagination, thought, etc

a burning sensation sometimes produced by drinking strong alcoholic liquor

fever and inflammation

a severe trial or torment (esp in the phrase go through fire and water)

catch fire to ignite

draw someone's fire to attract the criticism or censure of someone

hang fire

to delay firing
to delay or be delayed

no smoke without fire the evidence strongly suggests something has indeed happened

on fire

in a state of ignition
ardent or eager
informalplaying or performing at the height of one's abilities

open fire to start firing a gun, artillery, etc

play with fire to be involved in something risky

set fire to or set on fire British

to ignite
to arouse or excite

set the world on fire, British set the Thames on fire or Scot set the heather on fire informal to cause a great sensation

under fire being attacked, as by weapons or by harsh criticism

(modifier) astrology of or relating to a group of three signs of the zodiac, Aries, Leo, and SagittariusCompare earth (def. 10), air (def. 20), water (def. 12)

verb

to discharge (a firearm or projectile) or (of a firearm, etc) to be discharged

to detonate (an explosive charge or device) or (of such a charge or device) to be detonated

(tr) informal to dismiss from employment

(tr) ceramics to bake in a kiln to harden the clay, fix the glaze, etc

to kindle or be kindled; ignite

(tr) to provide with fueloil fires the heating system

(intr) to tend a fire

(tr) to subject to heat

(tr) to heat slowly so as to dry

(tr) to arouse to strong emotion

to glow or cause to glow

(intr) (of an internal-combustion engine) to ignite

(intr) (of grain) to become blotchy or yellow before maturity

vet science another word for cauterize

(intr) Australian informal (of a sportsman, etc) to play well or with enthusiasm

sentence substitute

a cry to warn others of a fire

the order to begin firing a gun, artillery, etc

Derived Formsfireable, adjectivefireless, adjectivefirer, noun

Word Origin for fire

Old English fӯr; related to Old Saxon fiur, Old Norse fūrr, Old High German fūir, Greek pur

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

Word Origin and History for fired

fire

c.1200, furen, figurative, "arouse, excite;" literal sense of "set fire to" is from late 14c., from fire (n.). The Old English verb fyrian "to supply with fire" apparently did not survive into Middle English.

The sense of "sack, dismiss" is first recorded 1885 in American English (earlier "throw (someone) out" of some place, 1871), probably from a play on the two meanings of discharge: "to dismiss from a position," and "to fire a gun," fire in the second sense being from "set fire to gunpowder," attested from 1520s. Of bricks, pottery, etc., from 1660s. Related: Fired; firing. Fired up "angry" is from 1824. Firing squad is attested from 1904.

fire

Old English fyr, from Proto-Germanic *fuir (cf. Old Saxon and Old Frisian fiur, Old Norse fürr, Middle Dutch and Dutch vuur, Old High German fiur, German Feuer), from PIE *perjos, from root *paewr- (cf. Armenian hur "fire, torch," Czech pyr "hot ashes," Greek pyr, Umbrian pir, Sanskrit pu, Hittite pahhur "fire").

Current spelling is attested as early as 1200, but did not fully displace Middle English fier (preserved in fiery) until c.1600.

PIE apparently had two roots for fire: *paewr- and *egni- (cf. Latin ignis). The former was "inanimate," referring to fire as a substance, and the latter was "animate," referring to it as a living force (see water).

Fire applied in English to passions, feelings, from mid-14c. Meaning "action of guns, etc." is from 1580s. Firecracker is American English coinage for what is in England just cracker, but the U.S. word distinguishes it from the word meaning "biscuit." Fire-engine attested from 1680s. The figurative expression play with fire "risk disaster" is from 1887; phrase where's the fire? "what's the hurry?" first recorded 1924.

fired in Medicine