misfire

verb mis·fire \ ˌmis-ˈfī(-ə)r \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of misfire

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

See misfire defined for English-language learners

See misfire defined for kids

Examples of misfire in a Sentence

their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail

Recent Examples of misfire from the Web

The Rams shot just 50 percent (23-for-46) from the free-throw line, including 10 fourth-quarter misfired freebies.

— shelby dermer, Cincinnati.com, "Hughes' comeback effort falls short in regional final loss to Trotwood-Madison," 17 Mar. 2018
After misfiring jumpers the first two periods, Indiana came out of the intermission hellbent on attacking the rim.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Pacers victorious after brutal, playoff-like battle with Bucks," 2 Mar. 2018
Armando Iannucci’s absurdist comedy reveals this in an extremely loose manner of speaking, with malice aforethought, straight-faced glee and formidable sharpshooting that occasionally misfires.

— joe morgenstern, WSJ, "‘The Death of Stalin’ Review: Laughing in the Graveyard of History," 8 Mar. 2018
Wood’s arrived to spring training with a splint on his right hand after a bow-and-arrow misfired, nearly taking off his right index finger.

— anthony fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers' Travis Wood out for season with torn ACL, meniscus," 2 Mar. 2018
Police officers gave dramatic testimony about being injured when their service weapons misfired or about living with the death or injury of bystanders who were hit.

— michael smith, Bloomberg.com, "How Defective Guns Became the Only Product That Can’t Be Recalled," 28 Feb. 2018
The Swedes packed the second end with exquisite shotmaking, and when John Shuster misfired on a double takeout with his last stone of the end, Nik Edin took advantage, scoring two for Sweden.

— scott cacciola, New York Times, "John Shuster and the U.S. Curling Team Win First Gold Medal," 25 Feb. 2018
The Tigers made 7 of 10 3s and outscored the Huskies, who were turning it over and misfiring, 28-8.

— dom amore, courant.com, "Huskies' Late Rally Comes Up Short As Men Fall To Memphis, 83-79," 25 Feb. 2018
Her one-and-one attempt misfired, giving Clear Springs the opportunity to win.

— ted dunnam, Houston Chronicle, "Girls' basketball playoffs: Summer Creek nips Clear Springs, 64-63," 16 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of misfire

1752

misfire Synonyms

Phrases

come a cropper, come to grief, fall flat, fall short;

misfire

noun mis·fire \ ˌmis-ˈfī(-ə)r , ˈmis-ˌ \

Definition of misfire

1 : a failure (as of a cartridge or firearm) to fire

2 : something that misfires

Recent Examples of misfire from the Web

Overall, the show’s big bet on Negan has been a bit of a misfire, with ratings hitting staggering lows last year, and Negan himself largely absent from the first half of the show’s eighth season.

— nick statt, The Verge, "The Walking Dead Villain Watch season 8, episode 15: Worth," 9 Apr. 2018
One misfire by an infielder and a game can turn quickly.

— susan slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, "A’s Matt Olson is a force at first as well as at the plate," 9 Apr. 2018
But the filmmaker is bouncing back from a rare box office misfire by bringing his cinematic sensibilities to an ambitious new project for the small screen.

— tufayel ahmed, Newsweek, "Exclusive: Darren Aronofsky on New Show 'One Strange Rock,' Negative Reaction to 'mother!' and Jennifer Lawrence Backlash," 21 Mar. 2018
But thus far, the show’s big bet on Negan has been a bit of a misfire, with ratings hitting staggering lows last year and Negan himself largely absent from the first half of the season’s episodes.

— nick statt, The Verge, "The Walking Dead feels fresh, original, and truly open-ended for the first time in years," 19 Mar. 2018
Teacher misfires gun in school injuring three students.

— jeff darcy, cleveland.com, "Trump caves to NRA on school safety plan: Darcy cartoon," 15 Mar. 2018
The misfire was notable, given Trump’s exposure to the Marine Corps, the branch in which Kelly and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis served.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "Trump is surrounded by Marines. That didn’t stop him from mistakenly tweeting ‘Marine Core.’," 14 Mar. 2018
The Colts had some fun with fans, who, after the McDaniels misfire, wanted proof of Reich's signing later Sunday evening.

— steve gardner, USA TODAY, "Indianapolis Colts hire Frank Reich as head coach," 11 Feb. 2018
Long range misfires: Tony Snell went 1 of 8 from the field and missed all five of his three-point attempts, his worst three-point shooting night of the season.

— matt velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Timberwolves 108, Bucks 89: Brogdon, Antetokounmpo get hurt in ugly loss," 1 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of misfire

1789

MISFIRE Defined for English Language Learners

misfire

verb

Definition of misfire for English Language Learners

of an engine : to fail to work properly because the fuel mixture burns at the wrong time
of a gun : to fail to fire properly : to fail to shoot a bullet
: to fail to have an intended effect : to fail to work properly