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
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
James Pearce, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Historically, Ohtani has misfired with the bat at Philadelphia – going into the game, none of his 250 career homers have come there.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Pj Green
october 9, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
Schwarber, on the other hand, also took full accountability for his performance when asked about the Philly stars' misfires.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misfire
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Verb
With Hugo Ekitike having already endeared himself to the fanbase, there’s too much attacking quality in the squad for Liverpool to keep misfiring.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Historically, Ohtani has misfired with the bat at Philadelphia – going into the game, none of his 250 career homers have come there.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
Noun
Dash cam footage of the officer’s killing played in the courtroom showed Rocha shooting Vasquez three times with an AR-15, including two misfires, during a traffic stop on July 19, 2022, after being pulled over for expired tags.
—Pj Green
october 9, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
Schwarber, on the other hand, also took full accountability for his performance when asked about the Philly stars' misfires.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misfire
Cite this Entry
“Misfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misfire. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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