fire 1 of 2

1
as in inferno
a destructive burning a number of suspicious fires in the neighborhood recently

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fire

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to shoot
to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force police officers firing rubber bullets

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2
as in to blast
to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force soldiers fired at the enemy in panic-stricken disorder

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fire
Noun
The Democrats are getting ready to light $20 million on fire to study their unpopularity! Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 27 May 2025 The second failure in March was caused by a hardware failure above one of the spacecraft's six engines, which resulted in an onboard fire. Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 27 May 2025
Verb
Tacoma police received a call stating shots were fired from a passerby's vehicle in the parking lot of the Tacoma Mall, FOX 13 reported in March 2023. Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2025 Early reports suggest there was an altercation before shots were fired, according to WTNH. Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for fire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fire
Noun
  • The ensuing inferno was hot enough that any evidence of the lab’s purpose seemed to have burned away.
    Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 22 May 2025
  • But after being asked in several emails by an editorial writer if the L.A. inferno showed the need for a triage approach, a spokesperson for Mayor Todd Gloria defended his handling of the fire threat.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • Speaking with an intensity that belies the hippie-speak, Levi is still more of an Aaron Rodgers than a Roger Stone.
    Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 22 May 2025
  • Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ Western Conference Final between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers started with high intensity and closed the same way on Wednesday night.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • Those caught in tunnels faced a darker, more claustrophobic ordeal.
    Marianne Lehnis, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
  • For them, switching production to other countries such as India is an impossible ordeal.
    Shuli Ren, Twin Cities, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • These wildfires, while destructive, have also provided researchers with insights into giant sequoia ecology, revealing that moderate-severity burns can stimulate seed release and create favorable germination conditions.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
  • Muscles, heart rate, strength, motor control — and the brain — all are stimulated by exercise.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • It was sent to Arron Lambert, the shop’s owner, in January 2022, a month before the Argentinian was sacked.
    Beren Cross, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • The 166-year-old St. Francis College in New York City, has sacked a quarter of its staff.
    Jon Marcus, NPR, 18 May 2025
Verb
  • That would mean being immediately thrown into the deep end.
    Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 17 May 2025
  • The girl, whose family identified her as Lily, was driven to a remote location on the night of May 3, where her ex-boyfriend then assaulted her, choked her and threw her from a moving vehicle, the Star-Telegram previously reported.
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 May 2025
Verb
  • The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.
    Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.
    Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023
Noun
  • Such scams exploit investor enthusiasm and poor regulation to inflate prices before insiders sell off their holdings.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
  • This campaign has energized consumption enthusiasm among younger demographics.
    Footwear News, Footwear News, 23 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fire. Accessed 31 May. 2025.

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