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
Essence, 26 Jan. 2026
Some look good on paper but would backfire in practice.
—J.d. Hayworth, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2026
Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for backfire
Verb
Early escalation without documentation often backfires.
—Essence, 26 Jan. 2026
Some look good on paper but would backfire in practice.
—J.d. Hayworth, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
Parsons was asked on Tuesday, ahead of Thursday night’s Packers-Commanders tilt at Lambeau Field, about picking your spots when rushing against Daniels, given his ability to make an overzealous rush plan backfire by escaping the pocket.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for backfire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backfire
Verb
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Klapper told Jam Press that the tower had partially collapsed under its own weight shortly before completion, preventing him from officially qualifying for the record.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Letting Thwaites collapse arguably violates the Antarctic Treaty System’s environmental-preservation clause, Minchew said.—
Christian Elliott,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Tengden said the aircraft is designed for reconnaissance, precision strikes, communications relay, emergency rescue, and forest fire prevention.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Dec. 2025
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The forest fire sequence is a good example.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump loyalists flop all the time and live to flop once more.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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Stiller’s character attempts to match the athletic feat in a heated rage by climbing high and belly-flopping right onto a drum kit as the music powers on.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The temple’s lawsuit details how investigators have found Edison’s equipment to have caused multiple wildfires in the last 10 years, including the the Round Fire in 2015, the Rey Fire in 2016, the Thomas, Creek, and Rye fires in 2017,and the Woolsey Fire in 2018.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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Cal Fire formed the task force in August, about six weeks after an unpermitted fireworks facility exploded in rural Yolo County, killing seven people and sparking a 78-acre wildfire.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Amenities include two restaurants, an indoor pool, a sauna, a hot tub, bike rentals, a bonfire pit, a sandy beach, and an activity room with crafts.—
Robert Annis,
Midwest Living,
19 Jan. 2026
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In the late 1800s, the Mountain House Hotel owners created a manmade version of Firefall by pushing a bonfire off Glacier Point’s edge in a ploy to attract tourism.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The men claimed a pair of metal folding chairs set beside the campfire; Adi found a seat on a big knob of driftwood.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Creepy campfire tales of a ghostly demon who causes still-births for unsuspecting mothers the world over doesn’t help her own peace of mind.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backfire. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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