1
as in shooting
to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force
police officers firing rubber bullets
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in discharging
to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force
soldiers fired at the enemy in panic-stricken disorder
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in stimulating
to give life, vigor, or spirit to
a school outing to the natural history museum fired his imagination, and he grew up to become an eminent paleontologist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in sacking
to let go from office, service, or employment
fired the secretary for incompetence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in throwing
to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm
fired a pass to the running back
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in burning
to set (something) on fire
lit some kindling before attempting to fire the logs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of firing
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
There was one woman in the packed firing room for the liftoff of Apollo 11.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Josh Boak, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
But in the video shared by police on Monday, two additional 911 callers can be heard reporting someone firing more than 10 gunshots in their neighborhood.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for firing
Noun
This will be the last major engine firing of the mission.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
There was one woman in the packed firing room for the liftoff of Apollo 11.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
Iran has denied firing the previous missiles.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
But in the video shared by police on Monday, two additional 911 callers can be heard reporting someone firing more than 10 gunshots in their neighborhood.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for firing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firing
Noun
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In the engine room, Hoff spoke of how some keepers went mad because of the foghorn blasting every few seconds.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Another was renting a vintage car and driving through Italy with a girlfriend with classical music blasting.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Police said Wang had slashed their throats and concocted a story about arriving home and shooting at a fleeing intruder responsible for the killings.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Brown fell just short of a triple-double (29 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) but posted his third-worst shooting percentage of the season (9-for-29) and had five turnovers.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Alcalde explains that red light at 650nm works closer to the surface, stimulating collagen production and supporting skin repair; over time, this translates to improvements in firmness, tone, and radiance.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
31 Mar. 2026
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Activities like using a computer to solve a puzzle were considered intellectually stimulating.—
Kaan Ozcan,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The confrontation went viral in December 2024, as cameras captured Gastineau confronting Favre in 2023 over Michael Strahan sacking the Green Bay Packers legend to break Gastineau's single-season sack record.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
17 Mar. 2026
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So Green can go back to sad-sacking and triple-singling starting Saturday against the Thunder, and certainly Monday against the Jazz.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gonzales is certainly a name to watch in Charlotte’s quarterback battle, throwing for 6,682 yards, 51 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions spanning three years at Western Carolina.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
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Residents say the suspect started throwing mason jars full of black liquid at officers.—
Kayla Moeller,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nearly 97 percent of female respondents reported burning sensations during urination, while 45 percent described amber to brown urine—a sign of dehydration and possible kidney strain.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
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In the poor quarters of New Delhi, households struggling to pay for gas fired up chulhas, old-school wood-burning stoves, and hoped their tinder supplies held.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Efforts by Gulf states to diversify from oil and become international finance and tourism hubs are also at risk amid the Iranian bombardment.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
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The current bombardment does not create a new wound so much as reactivate the generational trauma and militarization that structure life in Iran and across the Middle East.—
Mehrnoush Soroush,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Starting in 2028, Uber and Rivian will begin launching their autonomous fleets in Miami and San Francisco.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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Still, Handala caused some chaos earlier this month after infiltrating US medical equipment provider Stryker and launching a data-wiping attack that affected tens of thousands of devices, including employee phones.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Firing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firing. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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