open fire

idiom

: to begin shooting

A man opened fire in a crowded mall.

—often + on

The soldiers opened fire on enemy troops.

Examples of open fire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 33-year-old was heavy-handed with her blush, giving herself the rosy flush of someone who’s just spent an hour in front of an open fire, a glass of red wine in hand. —Sam Reed, Glamour, 25 Oct. 2025

Surveillance video shows a man approach him from behind and open fire with a handgun, which police allegedly recovered in Mangione's bag when he was arrested five days later. —Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025

Witness Clarisa Alayeto saw the situation play out and called the police after seeing a group of men, fitted in ski masks, rush the parole office and open fire on Martinez. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 17 Oct. 2025

Her college roommate had made a pie, and cops were now allowed to open fire on peaceful protesters if the peace seemed tenuous in any way. —Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for open fire

• acquire
• attire
• bonfire
• campfire
• ceasefire
• conspire
• desire
• enquire
• entire
• greenbrier
• gunfire
• homebuyer