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Synonyms

open fire

Idioms  

  1. Begin a verbal attack, as in In her second letter to the editor she opened fire, saying the reporter had deliberately misquoted her. This idiom alludes to discharging a firearm. [Mid-1800s]

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.

Their egg dishes are excellent, the burger is top-notch and the roasted chicken, which is cooked over an open fire in the kitchen, is superb.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

Oli has denied ordering security forces to open fire on protesters, and has told AFP that he blames "infiltrators" for the violence.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

Williams was on a mission near the peninsula’s north when he saw seven of the Soviet jets appear and eventually open fire, according to a Defense Department account.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

To help with the pine needle drop, she also advises putting it in a cooler part of your house, away from radiators or open fire.

From BBC • Dec. 1, 2025

I didn’t know what sacred cow I had bumped, but it was better to find out than to hang like a thread over an open fire.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.