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
Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
The Razorbacks, leading 31-13 at the half, drove into scoring range on each of their two possessions of the second half before Little misfired on field goals of 34 and 48 yards.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 19 Nov. 2023
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously accused Palestinian Islamic Jihad of causing the explosion when one of its rockets launched at Israel misfired.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 18 Oct. 2023
At least five engines failed on the first Starship test launch in April, and multiple engines misfired on this Super Heavy booster during hold-down test-firings in August.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023
Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military said the hospital was hit by a rocket misfired by Palestinian militants.
—Najib Jobain, Samya Kullab, Ravi Nessman and Matthew Lee The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2023
Just hours after the broadcast an Al Jazeera livestream emerged of rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel which suggested the hit on the hospital had been caused by a Hamas rocket misfiring.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 19 Oct. 2023
Hamas blamed it on an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military blamed a rocket misfired by members of another Palestinian militant group.
—Stan Choe, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2023
Classical computers run on bits that rarely misfire.
—Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 25 Aug. 2023
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 11 Nov. 2023
While the United Auto Workers’ strike accounted for a major portion of the monthly misfire in job creation, some experts believe there were still signs of a cooling labor market, noting that September’s job creation number was revised down by 39,000.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2023
By the time Biden had landed in Israel, Israel had provided video evidence and audio intelligence intercepts pointing to a misfire of a rocket aimed at Israel from Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
—The Editors, National Review, 19 Oct. 2023
The only misfire came in a lengthy commercial for General Atomics that, with its emphasis on Predator drones, seemed distinctly at odds with VetsAid’s admirable goal to assist veterans in need.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Nov. 2023
And so, while the Israelis and their allies were relieved by the intelligence reports of a disastrous misfire by Islamic Jihad, the Palestinians and most of the Arab world were having none of it.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2023
Surely their would be multiple misreads and misfires with Rodgers gone.
—Emmett Prosser, Journal Sentinel, 10 Sep. 2023
Trump himself, who is in a spat with Reynolds for staying neutral in the state and privately thinks the end of Roe was a political misfire, despite his not-small role in bringing it about.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 12 July 2023
The misfires were striking in that Herbert’s career to date has been marked by accuracy and a strong bond with Allen.
—Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023
See More
Verb
But Stoney also misfired on a couple of development projects.
—Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
The Razorbacks, leading 31-13 at the half, drove into scoring range on each of their two possessions of the second half before Little misfired on field goals of 34 and 48 yards.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 19 Nov. 2023
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously accused Palestinian Islamic Jihad of causing the explosion when one of its rockets launched at Israel misfired.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 18 Oct. 2023
At least five engines failed on the first Starship test launch in April, and multiple engines misfired on this Super Heavy booster during hold-down test-firings in August.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023
Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military said the hospital was hit by a rocket misfired by Palestinian militants.
—Najib Jobain, Samya Kullab, Ravi Nessman and Matthew Lee The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2023
Just hours after the broadcast an Al Jazeera livestream emerged of rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel which suggested the hit on the hospital had been caused by a Hamas rocket misfiring.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 19 Oct. 2023
Hamas blamed it on an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military blamed a rocket misfired by members of another Palestinian militant group.
—Stan Choe, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2023
Classical computers run on bits that rarely misfire.
—Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 25 Aug. 2023
Noun
The Israeli army said one strike at Shifa was the result of a misfire by militants targeting its troops nearby.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 11 Nov. 2023
While the United Auto Workers’ strike accounted for a major portion of the monthly misfire in job creation, some experts believe there were still signs of a cooling labor market, noting that September’s job creation number was revised down by 39,000.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2023
By the time Biden had landed in Israel, Israel had provided video evidence and audio intelligence intercepts pointing to a misfire of a rocket aimed at Israel from Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
—The Editors, National Review, 19 Oct. 2023
The only misfire came in a lengthy commercial for General Atomics that, with its emphasis on Predator drones, seemed distinctly at odds with VetsAid’s admirable goal to assist veterans in need.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Nov. 2023
And so, while the Israelis and their allies were relieved by the intelligence reports of a disastrous misfire by Islamic Jihad, the Palestinians and most of the Arab world were having none of it.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2023
Surely their would be multiple misreads and misfires with Rodgers gone.
—Emmett Prosser, Journal Sentinel, 10 Sep. 2023
Trump himself, who is in a spat with Reynolds for staying neutral in the state and privately thinks the end of Roe was a political misfire, despite his not-small role in bringing it about.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 12 July 2023
The misfires were striking in that Herbert’s career to date has been marked by accuracy and a strong bond with Allen.
—Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023
See More
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 11 Dec. 2023.
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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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