misfire

American  

[mis-fiuhr, mis-fahy^uhr] / mɪsˈfɪər, ˈmɪsˌfaɪər /

verb (used without object)

misfired, misfiring

1. (of a rifle or gun or of a bullet or shell) to fail to fire or explode.

2. (of an internal-combustion engine) to fail to ignite properly or when expected.

3. to fail to achieve the desired result, effect, etc..

   His criticisms completely misfired.

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noun

1. an act or instance of misfiring.

misfire British  

/ ˌmɪsˈfaɪə /

verb

1. (of a firearm or its projectile) to fail to fire, explode, or ignite as or when expected

2. (of a motor engine or vehicle, etc) to fail to fire at the appropriate time, often causing a backfire

3. to fail to operate or occur as intended

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noun

1. the act or an instance of misfiring

Etymology

Origin of misfire

First recorded in 1745–55; mis- ¹ + fire

Example Sentences

Howe's decision to make Gordon the focal point of his attack instead of the misfiring Nick Woltemade paid off after just three minutes.

From Barron's

For each of those successes, there are several messy misfires: The wan camp of “The Politician.”

From Salon

And if he misfires, it will be clear who deserves the blame.

From Los Angeles Times

And having misfired of late, polls suggest that Japan's first woman Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi might manage to bring back the glory days with a thumping election win on Sunday.

From Barron's

The addition of Johnson will provide further options for an attack that has misfired in recent weeks, but the late saga around McNeil will have done little to ease concern.

From BBC

Related Words

• backfire
• fall flat
• fizzle
• flop