mis·fire
ˌmis-ˈfī(-ə)r 
misfired; misfiring; misfires
1
: to have the explosive or propulsive charge fail to ignite at the proper time
the engine misfired
2
: to fail to fire
the gun misfired
3
: to miss an intended effect or objective
the new ad campaign misfired
mis·fire
ˌmis-ˈfī(-ə)r
ˈmis-ˌfī(-ə)r
1
: a failure (as of a cartridge or firearm) to fire
2
: something that misfires
Synonyms
Examples of misfire in a Sentence
Verb
their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail
Recent Examples on the Web
Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
These kinds of projections have misfired again and again with high performers like Meta Platforms Inc. posting an earnings bonanza.
—Justina Lee, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
Hunter made four before halftime, then started misfiring wildly in the second, throwing up an airball, then another attempt that caromed off the backboard without hitting the rim.
—Jim Vertuno, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024
According to the team, understanding how the cues retinoic acid provides are used to form normal head and facial structures in vertebrates is crucial for understanding how this process can misfire.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
That remained the score when Oduro misfired on a layup attempt and Creighton rebounded with less than a minute left.
—Kyle Hightower, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
The host, Anthony Anderson, didn’t blame his writers for misfiring jokes.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2024
Minshew struggled in Saturday’s do-or-die loss to the Texans, completing just 13 of 24 passes for 141 yards and misfiring on a fourth-and-1 throw to Tyler Goodson that effectively ended the Colts’ chance for a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter.
—The Indianapolis Star, 8 Jan. 2024
The Pirates had the ball in Lakewood’s end of the field several times with Hassan Diaz shooting high and over the goal and Braulio Ibarra firing for 30 yards out only to be stopped in a great diving stop by Diego Ortiz.
Just before Ibarra’s shot, Oceanside misfired on a cross.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
The project could prove a positive leading indicator for a school district better known for struggling to catch up, and notorious for costly technological misfires.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
The doctored photo of Middleton — and subsequent kill notices — is a misfire of historic proportions.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 12 Mar. 2024
My New Friends The Bottom Line A misfire from a gifted auteur.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2024
Initially, the Israeli military was wrongly blamed for the rocket misfire.
—Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2023
The control scheme is intuitive, but the touch surface on the right is far too prone to misfires.
—PCMAG, 5 Feb. 2024
The five Chinese films were miles ahead of Hollywood’s sole new release in the marketplace, Sony’s superhero misfire Madame Web.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Mar. 2024
Will tonight be a total misfire, a thunderbolt of controversy, or merely mediocre?
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024
Verb
Jordan Hicks misfired a would-be double-play ball into center field that led to a run.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
These kinds of projections have misfired again and again with high performers like Meta Platforms Inc. posting an earnings bonanza.
—Justina Lee, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
Hunter made four before halftime, then started misfiring wildly in the second, throwing up an airball, then another attempt that caromed off the backboard without hitting the rim.
—Jim Vertuno, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024
According to the team, understanding how the cues retinoic acid provides are used to form normal head and facial structures in vertebrates is crucial for understanding how this process can misfire.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024
That remained the score when Oduro misfired on a layup attempt and Creighton rebounded with less than a minute left.
—Kyle Hightower, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
The host, Anthony Anderson, didn’t blame his writers for misfiring jokes.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2024
Minshew struggled in Saturday’s do-or-die loss to the Texans, completing just 13 of 24 passes for 141 yards and misfiring on a fourth-and-1 throw to Tyler Goodson that effectively ended the Colts’ chance for a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter.
—The Indianapolis Star, 8 Jan. 2024
The Pirates had the ball in Lakewood’s end of the field several times with Hassan Diaz shooting high and over the goal and Braulio Ibarra firing for 30 yards out only to be stopped in a great diving stop by Diego Ortiz.
Just before Ibarra’s shot, Oceanside misfired on a cross.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024
Noun
Despite United’s safety misfires occurring on Boeing planes—which make up about 80% of United’s fleet—airline consultant James Darcy of Darcy Strategic said that United likely needs to shoulder some of the blame.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
The project could prove a positive leading indicator for a school district better known for struggling to catch up, and notorious for costly technological misfires.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
The doctored photo of Middleton — and subsequent kill notices — is a misfire of historic proportions.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 12 Mar. 2024
My New Friends The Bottom Line A misfire from a gifted auteur.
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2024
Initially, the Israeli military was wrongly blamed for the rocket misfire.
—Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2023
The control scheme is intuitive, but the touch surface on the right is far too prone to misfires.
—PCMAG, 5 Feb. 2024
The five Chinese films were miles ahead of Hollywood’s sole new release in the marketplace, Sony’s superhero misfire Madame Web.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Mar. 2024
Will tonight be a total misfire, a thunderbolt of controversy, or merely mediocre?
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misfire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near misfire
Cite this Entry
“Misfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misfire. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
misfire
verb
mis·fire
(ˈ)mis-ˈfī(ə)r
1
: to have the explosive or driving charge fail to ignite at the proper time
the engine misfired
2
: to fail to fire
the gun misfired
3
: to miss an intended effect
the plan misfired
misfire
noun
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