misfire

1 of 2

verb

mis·​fire ˌmis-ˈfī(-ə)r 

misfired; misfiring; misfires

intransitive verb

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

misfire

2 of 2

noun

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

Verb

• miscarry

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

Verb

Northwestern misfired on six free-position shots in the opening two quarters, and Suriano made saves on at least four of those chances. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2025

Tammy Daybell, Chad's former wife, reported someone had tried to shoot her in October 2019 but the gun misfired. —Jessica Boehm, Axios, 1 Apr. 2025

Noun

And yet, despite all that, this is a rare misfire from one of my favorite fantasy authors. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025

Our respondents were concerned with the possibility of misfire elections by a 2-1 margin (62 percent to 33 percent). —Robert Alexander and Anna Dawley, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1752, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misfire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar

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