misfire
verb (used without object)
(of a rifle or gun or of a bullet or shell) to fail to fire or explode.
was misfiring
-
past progressiveof misfire.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Luck’s only lament was misfiring the pass, but he loved the bold call.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 2, 2018
The scientist in the study concluded that either Honnold’s amygdala was misfiring, or “his frontal cortex is just so powerful that it can calm him down.”
From The Guardian ● Sep. 10, 2017
Murray's serve, meanwhile, was misfiring and, under darkening skies and roared on by a partisan crowd, he had to dig deep to stay on terms with the Australian.
From Reuters ● Jul. 4, 2016
Fletcher, however, was misfiring badly and was the villain again with two more bad misses that betrayed his lack of confidence.
From BBC ● May 20, 2015
Maybe between the heat and the stress her brain was misfiring entirely.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
