back·fire
ˈbak-ˌfī(-ə)r 
backfired; backfiring; backfires
1
: to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
their plans backfired
2
: to make or undergo a backfire
1
: a loud noise caused by the improperly timed explosion of fuel mixture in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine
2
: a fire started to check an advancing fire by clearing an area
Examples of backfire in a Sentence
Verb
my plan to throw her a surprise party backfired when she ended up thinking that everyone had forgotten her birthday
Recent Examples on the Web
Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
The changes backfired and customers left for local coffee shops and other chains and brewed more coffee at home.
—Maya Blackstone, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
Katherine Corcoran, New York Times, 20 May 2025
While the intent is usually to protect the systems, this often backfires.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for backfire
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Verb
Trump's goal to reduce trade deficits while expanding markets for U.S. exports has backfired.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
The changes backfired and customers left for local coffee shops and other chains and brewed more coffee at home.
—Maya Blackstone, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
Noun
But their attempts to address more fundamental corruption backfire; many interpret their pragmatic cooperation with the government as carrying water for Juan Orlando Hernández, a strongman president later exposed as a drug trafficker who is now serving a 45-year sentence in a U.S. penitentiary.
—Katherine Corcoran, New York Times, 20 May 2025
While the intent is usually to protect the systems, this often backfires.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for backfire
Cite this Entry
“Backfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backfire. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
backfire
1 of 2 noun
back·fire
-ˌfī(ə)r
1
: a fire that is set to check the spread of a forest fire or a grass fire by burning off a strip of land ahead of it
2
: a loud noise caused by the improperly timed explosion of fuel in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine
backfire
2 of 2 verb1
: to make a backfire
2
: to have a result opposite to what was planned
their plans backfired
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