backfire

verb back·fire \ ˈbak-ˌfī(-ə)r \

|Updated on: 6 Aug 2018

Examples: backfire in a Sentence

Definition of backfire

backfired; backfiring; backfires

intransitive verb

1 : to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect

their plans backfired

2 : to make or undergo a backfire

See backfire defined for English-language learners

Examples of backfire in a Sentence

my plan to throw her a surprise party backfired when she ended up sobbing that everyone had forgotten her birthday

Recent Examples of backfire from the Web

The conference call was an attempt to avoid future PR disasters — and ended up seriously backfiring.

— jen kirby, Vox, "Papa John’s founder resigns as chairman after using a racial slur on a call," 12 July 2018
Nobody was too sure of the reasons why, but Colombia's tactic of trying to tick England off had backfired, and all the South American outfit seemed intent on doing was picking up bookings.

— SI.com, "It's Coming Home! Twitter Reacts as England Win a Bloody Penalty Shootout at the World Cup," 3 July 2018
That backfired on Democrats amid allegations of anti-religious bias, and Barrett was narrowly confirmed, garnering three Democratic votes.

— jan crawford, CBS News, "Sen. Susan Collins says she won't support Supreme Court pick with "hostility" to Roe v. Wade," 2 July 2018
But these episodes, which have gone viral on social media, risk backfiring by playing into Trump’s hands.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Liberal hostility toward Trump aides could galvanize the GOP base," 25 June 2018
Despite his value to Disney’s lucrative animation business, failing to respond decisively to complaints against Lasseter could have backfired amid the #MeToo movement and tarnished Disney’s standing among female employees.

— ryan faughnder, latimes.com, "Disney picks two animation filmmakers to replace John Lasseter," 19 June 2018
An effort to shame a woman into not hanging her laundry outside her home in southwestern England backfired spectacularly Wednesday when neighbors and business people came to her defense and draped their clothes outside for everyone to see.

— BostonGlobe.com, "British town rallies in defense of woman who hangs her laundry outside," 14 June 2018
In moving forward with tariffs on national security grounds, the administration now faces a crucial test of whether its aggressive strategy will extract promises from trading partners or end up backfiring on the United States economy.

— New York Times, "White House to Impose Metal Tariffs on Key U.S. Allies, Risking Retaliation," 31 May 2018
But that may have backfired, as Breed’s campaign has benefited from donors and volunteers irate over the replacement of a black woman who grew up in public housing with a rich, white venture capitalist from the Marina.

— San Francisco Chronicle, "recalls the most significant dates," 17 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'backfire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of backfire

1852

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

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backfire Synonyms

backfire

noun

Definition of 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

See backfire defined for kids

Recent Examples of backfire from the Web

Nearly 3,000 firefighters have been working around the clock, lighting backfires and building a containment line, in an effort to keep the flames at bay.

— john blackstone, CBS News, "Thousands of firefighters battling massive wildfires in western U.S.," 4 July 2018
Here's how Cal Fire is gaining ground in containing the 82,700-acre County Fire Advertisement Cal Fire crews are lighting backfires to contain the massive County Fire in Napa and Yolo counties near Lake Berryessa.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "County Fire swells to nearly 83,000 acres as firefighters inch closer to containment," 4 July 2018
But Smith made the decision backfire when his single made it 2-0.

— clark spencer, miamiherald, "It was 1993 all over again as teal-clad Marlins take care of Padres," 8 June 2018
So is talk of a Trump summit with Putin — unless the president bluntly confronts the Russian leader about his cyber espionage in Europe and the U.S. >> READ MORE: Will Trump’s deal-making backfire and embroil U.S. in new wars?

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "Trump pummels G-7 democratic allies but loves autocrats | Trudy Rubin," 8 June 2018
If its wager backfires, everyday low prices will be where Walmart least wants it: in the stock price.

— charley grant, WSJ, "Healthy Skepticism About Walmart and Humana," 30 Mar. 2018
Praise for White's performance in Pyeongchang caught backfire on social media at a time when #MeToo and other movements are calling for more accountability about harassment and abuse.

— thr staff, The Hollywood Reporter, "Olympic Champion Shaun White Refers to Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit as "Gossip"," 14 Feb. 2018
Praise for White's performance in Pyeongchang caught backfire on social media at a time when #MeToo and other movements are calling for more accountability about harassment and abuse.

— jake seiner, Houston Chronicle, "Shaun White apologizes for comments on sexual misconduct lawsuit," 14 Feb. 2018
Praise for White's performance in Pyeongchang caught backfire on social media at a time when #MeToo and other movements are calling for more accountability about harassment and abuse.

— chicagotribune.com, "Shaun White refers to sexual misconduct lawsuit as 'gossip'," 14 Feb. 2018