backfire
verb (used without object)
(of an internal-combustion engine) to have a loud, premature explosion in the intake manifold.
have backfired
-
present perfectof backfire.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
Efforts to turn Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk into a pop culture icon after his killing last September have backfired spectacularly, with online parodists meme-ifying his image.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
She thinks the US policy of export controls might have backfired: Chinese developers had to make do without the powerful chips, forcing them to be creative.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
The asset manager’s concentration in artificial intelligence and software, once its strength, appears to have backfired.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
So far, this calculus seems to have backfired.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
Mortal men are liable to motor accidents; even kings' cars have backfired; but it seems strange that actor-managers are not specially exempt from these occurrences.
From The Holiday Round by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne
