unfired

adjective

un·​fired ˌən-ˈfī(-ə)rd How to pronounce unfired (audio)
: not fired
an unfired rifle
especially : not baked in a kiln
unfired clay pots

Examples of unfired in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Other communities experience so much violence that the confiscation of an unfired weapon from a school building filled with children doesn’t rate as news. Steven Rich, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023 The other part consists of two sculptural columns made of thin wooden strips partly covered with soft-looking blobs of purplish unfired clay. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023 Marson and Central Maine Pyrotechnics acknowledged violating the state fire code during the July 4 exhibition and afterward by not properly disposing of unexploded shells and not beginning a search for unfired shells at first light the next morning, the statement said. Jeremy C. Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2023 Multiple unfired cartridges were found inside the shelving units of the headboard, and additional ammunition was located inside a dresser. Hannah Kirby, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2023 The building in Dakar is oriented so that nearby trees provide shade, and its thick walls—made of the type of unfired compressed-earth bricks Steinmeier tried his hand at making—insulate the interior from the hot Senegalese climate. Jori Lewis, The Atlantic, 5 July 2022 Then, one of the duplicates jumps to another unfired origin, where it can be copied yet again. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 7 Sep. 2011 While its individual bits can’t be discerned, the delicate fabrication is the sum of many parts: It was made by dripping uncountable threadlike bits of unfired clay along fishing line. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2022 Fox News Digital also discovers an unfired round about 20 to 30 yards uphill from the crime scene, in a public area, and immediately alerts investigators. Fox News, 29 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unfired.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unfired was in 1590

Dictionary Entries Near unfired

Cite this Entry

“Unfired.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfired. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!