spitfire

[ spit-fahyuh r ]

/ ˈspɪtˌfaɪər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spitfire ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person, especially a girl or woman, who is of fiery temper and easily provoked to outbursts.

(initial capital letter) a British fighter plane with a single in-line engine used by the R.A.F. throughout World War II.

Nearby words

spitballer, spitchcock, spite, spite fence, spiteful, spitfire, spithead, spitsbergen, spitsticker, spitteler, spitter

Origin of spitfire

First recorded in 1590–1600; spit¹ + fire

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

Examples from the Web for spitfire

Get ready to bid farewell to the spitfire Bobby Bottleservice and big booty player Ref Jeff.
The Zany Shades of Nick Kroll|Abby Haglage|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was the cataclysmic collision of spitfire upstart performer, brilliant pop song, and cheeky music video.
Britney Spears’s ‘…Baby One More Time’ Turns 15: The Making of an Iconic Music Video|Kevin Fallon|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The first thing that had moved him in the child was the friendlessness back of her spitfire offense.
The Fighting Edge|William MacLeod Raine
A wave of the hand, and the Spitfire is alongside, running up like a dog to its master.
My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field|Charles Carleton Coffin

He was struggling to stay afloat on the rough sea when a Spitfire began circling overhead.
A Yankee Flier Over Berlin|Al Avery
The captain of the Spitfire had left nothing undone to make the loss of the schooner appear purely accidental.
The Last Cruise of the Spitfire|Edward Stratemeyer
His Spitfire was now just a heap of smouldering wreckage many miles away.
Dave Dawson with the Commandos|R. Sidney Bowen

British Dictionary definitions for spitfire

spitfire

/ (ˈspɪtˌfaɪə) /

noun

a person given to outbursts of spiteful temper and anger, esp a woman or girl

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