as in to collapse
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
my plan to throw her a surprise party backfired when she ended up thinking that everyone had forgotten her birthday
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in forest fire
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of backfire
Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Still, experts say too much caffeine or water can backfire, so aim for a balance of the drinks.
—Allison Forsyth, Health, 4 Nov. 2025
Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
In the context of romance, decision fatigue arises when the seemingly convenient abundance of avenues for finding a partner start to, ironically, backfire.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backfire
Verb
Gabriel swaps Arj’s life with a wealthy venture capitalist, Jeff (Seth Rogen), but the plan backfires when Arj is convinced his newfound wealth has, in fact, solved all his problems.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Still, experts say too much caffeine or water can backfire, so aim for a balance of the drinks.
—Allison Forsyth, Health, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
This can cause the airflow to slow down, stagnate, or even reverse, potentially resulting in backfire-like sounds and visible flames from the engine inlet or exhaust.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
In the context of romance, decision fatigue arises when the seemingly convenient abundance of avenues for finding a partner start to, ironically, backfire.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for backfire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backfire
Verb
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Those shows come from a time when fisheries were collapsing and regulations meant to save them forced fishermen into a daily sprint to the bottom.—
Dan Morrison,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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Gilbert is hardly the only celebrity lending their support to Ryder’s Law, which was named after a horse who died in Manhattan in 2022 after collapsing in the August heat.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The forest fire sequence is a good example.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
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The inflationary forest fire that many expected to see has yet to ignite.—
George Calhoun,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the video, the mako shark bursts from the water and lands on the bow of the boat, flopping around before coming to rest near the front of the vessel.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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Lawrence has been open in past interviews about needing to take a two year break from Hollywood after making 16 movies in six years, a string of which flopped at the box office and only inflamed the public’s negative reception of her.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The wildfire has been burning on private land.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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Conway said there aren’t a lot of discounts currently available for wildfire mitigation, but there are for fortifying a house’s roof against hail.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In the winter, high-end Everline Resort offers snowcat tours to a winter bonfire and stargazing circle (snow permitting), while Tahoe Adventure Company runs group sunset and full moon snowshoe tours around the north shore.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
7 Nov. 2025
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Do not smoke, use flashlights, or light bonfires at night.—
Carolyn Forché,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The rest of my crew from graduate school left that morning in their truck after one last evening talking science and adventure around the campfire.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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After dinner, take your glass of wine outside for dessert—complimentary s’mores made by a campfire at the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge.—
Lisa Kadane,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backfire. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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