fire

play

noun, often attributive \ ˈfī(-ə)r \

Definition of fire

1 a (1) :the phenomenon of combustion manifested in light, flame, and heat

(2) :one of the four elements of the alchemists

air, water, fire, and earth

b (1) :burning passion :ardor

young lovers with their hearts full of fire

(2) :liveliness of imagination :inspiration

the force and fire of his oratory

2 a :fuel in a state of combustion (as on a hearth)

warmed his hands at the crackling fire

b British :a small gas or electric space heater

3 a :a destructive burning (as of a building)

The shack was destroyed by a fire.

b (1) :death or torture by fire

He confessed under threat of the fire.

(2) :severe trial or ordeal

He had proved himself in the fire of battle.

4 :brilliancy, luminosity

the fire of a gem

5 a :the firing of weapons (such as firearms, artillery, or missiles)

The troops endured heavy fire.

b :intense verbal attack or criticism

His controversial assertions have provoked heavy fire from those taking offense.

c :a rapidly delivered series (as of remarks)

—

fireless

play \ˈfī(-ə)r-ləs\ adjective

— on fire

1 :being consumed by fire :aflame

The house was on fire.

2 :eager, burning

He was on fire with enthusiasm.

— under fire

1 :exposed to fire from an enemy's weapons

The soldier showed courage under fire.

2 :under attack

The company has come under fire for its discriminatory hiring policies.

See fire defined for English-language learners

See fire defined for kids

Examples of fire in a Sentence

Stay away from the fire.
The shack was destroyed by a fire.
Two people died in that terrible fire.
How did the fire start?
We warmed our hands over the fire.
She built a fire in the fireplace.
The fire went out and he had to light it again.

Recent Examples of fire from the Web

Sage’s menu features hickory and oak wood fire grill preparations of fish and seafood, steaks, chops, chicken, salads and pastas.

— atlanta life, ajc, "Sage Woodfire Tavern to add two more locations this fall after closing two other restaurants," 31 Aug. 2017
Eddie Sugarman, executive director of the Western Springs Theatre, describes damage from a fire at the theater.

— annemarie mannion, chicagotribune.com, "Theatre of Western Springs recovers from fire," 30 Aug. 2017
Terry Ireland of Kankakee, Ill., tended to beans and potatoes in a stockpot over a fire.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Aukiki festival garners state recognition," 30 Aug. 2017
Councilman Chris Cate reported a total six contributions worth $26,000 combined, including $5,000 each from Walmart and SDG&E. Most of those donations were paid to the San Diego police and fire organizations.

— jeff mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Charitable giving at mayor's behest tops $2 million," 30 Aug. 2017
RANDOMNESS Enjoy the nightmare of a floating colony of venomous fire ants.

— paul dehner jr., Cincinnati.com, "Walkthru: Predicting final Cincinnati Bengals 53-man roster," 30 Aug. 2017
Looking ahead: Last season was yet another disappointing one for the folks in northeast Florida with the Jaguars going from a hip pick to win the division to a dumpster fire.

— george richards, miamiherald, "2017 AFC Preview: Can anyone beat Tom Brady and the Patriots?," 30 Aug. 2017
The red flag warning, which is issued when critical fire weather conditions occur, stretches across Boise and is expected to stay in effect until midnight Thursday.

— ruth brown, idahostatesman, "Thunderstorm causes 3,600 power outages across Boise," 30 Aug. 2017
So from many places in the bushlands camp fires send up their smoke.

— Longreads, "America’s First Addiction Epidemic," 29 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of fire

Middle English, from Old English fȳr; akin to Old High German fiur fire, Greek pyr

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

fire Synonyms

Synonyms

conflagration, holocaust, inferno

fire

verb

Definition of fire

fired; firing

transitive verb

1 a :to set on fire :kindle; also :ignite

fire a rocket engine

b (1) :to give life or spirit to :inspire

the description fired his imagination

(2) :to fill with passion or enthusiasm —often used with up

c :to light up as if by fire

d :to cause to start operating —usually used with up

fired up the engine

2 a :to drive out or away by or as if by fire

b :to dismiss from a position

3 a (1) :to cause to explode :detonate

(2) :to propel from or as if from a gun :discharge, launch

fire a rocket

(3) :shoot 1b

fire a gun

(4) :to score (a number) in a game or contest

b :to throw with speed or force

fired the ball to first base

fire a left jab

c :to utter with force and rapidity

4 :to apply fire or fuel to: such as

a :to process by applying heat

fire pottery

b :to feed or serve the fire of

fire a boiler

intransitive verb

1 a :to take fire :kindle, ignite

b :to begin operation :start

the engine fired

c :to operate especially as the result of the application of an electrical impulse

the spark plug fires

2 a :to become irritated or angry —often used with up

b :to become filled with excitement or enthusiasm

3 a :to discharge a firearm

fire at close range

b :to emit or let fly an object

4 :to tend a fire

5 :to transmit a nerve impulse

the rate at which a neuron fires

—

fireable

play \ˈfī(-ə)r-ə-bəl, ˈfī-rə-\ adjective

—

firer

noun

See fire defined for English-language learners

Examples of fire in a Sentence

She fired the arrow at the target.
He fired several shots at the police.
He fired at the police.
The gun failed to fire.
The soldiers fired on the enemy.
The shortstop fired the ball to first base.
The angry mob fired rocks at him.
The boxer fired a left jab at his opponent's chin.
The story fired his imagination.
She had to fire several workers.

Recent Examples of fire from the Web

Kessler ultimately won the job and started the rest of the season, even after Kiffin was fired five games into the year.

— matthew defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Start of FAU's season mirrors pair of situations from Lane Kiffin's time at USC," 30 Aug. 2017
No shots were fired during the incident, according to the district.

— holly v. hays, Indianapolis Star, "Former Southport High School student arrested with gun on school grounds," 29 Aug. 2017
In another, a masked protestor dodges a tear gas shell fired by Indian forces.

— TIME.com, "Capturing Conflict, and Covering Home, in Kashmir," 29 Aug. 2017
The officers saw a gunman, who turned toward them and fired on time, police said.

— justin fenton, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore Police officers shot at Sunday night, second time in past week," 28 Aug. 2017
A jury Thursday sided against a former employee of Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office who said she was fired for not going to church.

— hunter woodall, kansascity, "Jury delivers verdict against former Kobach employee who said she was fired over church attendance," 24 Aug. 2017
The lawsuit argues that the duo framed Ricks by fabricating bullet evidence — swapping out the bullets taken from the victim's body with bullets test-fired from a gun belonging to Ricks' mother.

— allie gross, Detroit Free Press, "Wrongfully convicted man files $125M suit against Detroit police over faked evidence," 24 Aug. 2017
After the single shot was fired, striking Jacobs in the chest, the deputy and a trooper provided first aid to Jacobs until EMS arrived.

— charlotteobserver, "DA: Burke County deputy acted lawfully in shooting of man holding CO2 pistol," 24 Aug. 2017
The three officers who fired at Coy are all members of the Anti-Crime Team In Our Neighborhoods: Sgt.

— michael katz, idahostatesman, "Man who shot at Ada County sheriff deputies sentenced to 20 years in prison," 24 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of fire

see ¹fire

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

fire Synonyms

Synonyms

blast, discharge, shoot, loose, squeeze off

Antonyms

damp, dampen, deaden, dull, kill

Related Words

launch, project; blaze (at), snipe (at); cast, catapult, fling, heave, hurl, hurtle, lob, pelt, pitch, sling, throw, toss

Near Antonyms

burn out, debilitate, do in, drain, enervate, enfeeble, exhaust, fag, fatigue, harass, kayo, knock out, sap, tucker (out), undermine, wash out, weaken, wear, wear out, weary; check, curb, inhibit, jade, quell, quench, repress, restrain, slow, still, stunt, suppress; daunt, demoralize, discourage, dishearten, dispirit

FIRE

abbreviation

Definition of FIRE

finance, insurance, and real estate

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

Fire

play

biographical name \ ˈfī(-ə)r \

Definition of Fire

Andrew Zachary 1959– American geneticist

FIRE Defined for English Language Learners

fire

play

noun

Definition of fire for English Language Learners

: the light and heat and especially the flame produced by burning
: an occurrence in which something burns : the destruction of something (such as a building or a forest) by fire
: a controlled occurrence of fire created by burning something (such as wood or gas) in a special area (such as in a fireplace or stove)

fire

verb

Definition of fire for English Language Learners

: to shoot a weapon
: to throw (something) with speed and force
: to give life or energy to (something or someone)

FIRE Defined for Kids

fire

play

noun \ ˈfīr \

Definition of fire for Students

1 :the light and heat and especially the flame produced by burning

2 :fuel that is burning in a controlled setting (as in a fireplace)

3 :the destructive burning of something (as a building)

4 :the shooting of weapons

rifle fire

5 :enthusiasm

— on fire

:actively burning

— under fire

1 :exposed to the firing of enemy guns

2 :under attack

fire

verb

Definition of fire for Students

fired; firing

1 :¹shoot 2

fire a gun

2 :to dismiss from employment

He was fired from his job.

3 :excite 1, stir

It's a story to fire the imagination.

4 :to subject to great heat

fire pottery

5 :to set off :explode

fire a firecracker

6 :to set on fire

They carelessly fired the barn.

Medical Dictionary

fire

play

noun, often attributive \ ˈfī(ə)r \

medical Definition of fire

:fever or inflammation especially from a disease

fire

verb

medical Definition of fire

fired; firing

transitive verb

1 :to cause to transmit a nerve impulse

2 :to sear (the leg of a horse) with a hot iron in order to convert a crippling chronic inflammation into an acute inflammation that will stimulate the natural healing responses of the body

intransitive verb

:to transmit a nerve impulse