as in collapsed
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
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Recent Examples of backfired
The veteran litigator found herself in hot water after her efforts to broker a detente between Cipriani and Shell spectacularly backfired.
—
Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Fried and Reiter argue that the guardians’ actions backfired entirely.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 1 June 2026
The Hogs’ strategy of filling the bases backfired as Tyson Owens plated what turned out to be the game-winning run by drawing a walk.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2026
Trump’s plans for Nvidia chips backfired Trump has not yet commented on Nvidia’s plans in Taiwan, but the US president has repeatedly praised Huang as brilliant, while consulting with Huang on AI industry and tariff questions.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
But the club chose Liam Rosenior to replace him, and that backfired badly.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Macron’s highest aspirations to, as a modern Talleyrand, inject himself and solve global issues such as Ukraine, Africa’s Sahel, Syria, Lebanon, or Iran have fallen short, degenerated into petty feuds, or backfired.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The Mavericks traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024-25 season, getting Anthony Davis as the centerpiece in a deal that backfired badly on the franchise.
—CBS News, 20 May 2026
Progressives getting behind Campa-Najjar say that pro-Israel groups spending on von Wilpert’s behalf has backfired.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 May 2026
Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Fried and Reiter argue that the guardians’ actions backfired entirely.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 1 June 2026
The Hogs’ strategy of filling the bases backfired as Tyson Owens plated what turned out to be the game-winning run by drawing a walk.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 31 May 2026
Trump’s plans for Nvidia chips backfired Trump has not yet commented on Nvidia’s plans in Taiwan, but the US president has repeatedly praised Huang as brilliant, while consulting with Huang on AI industry and tariff questions.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
But the club chose Liam Rosenior to replace him, and that backfired badly.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Macron’s highest aspirations to, as a modern Talleyrand, inject himself and solve global issues such as Ukraine, Africa’s Sahel, Syria, Lebanon, or Iran have fallen short, degenerated into petty feuds, or backfired.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The Mavericks traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024-25 season, getting Anthony Davis as the centerpiece in a deal that backfired badly on the franchise.
—CBS News, 20 May 2026
Progressives getting behind Campa-Najjar say that pro-Israel groups spending on von Wilpert’s behalf has backfired.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backfired
Verb
-
On May 9, 1873—Black Friday—stocks collapsed, and fights broke out on the floor of the exchange, which was forced to close.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Hundreds of people including athletes and politicians were at Jet Set when the roof collapsed, attending a concert by singer Rubby Pérez, who was among the victims.—
Martín Adames,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Free agents such as Joakim Noah flopped.—
CBS New York Team,
CBS News,
2 June 2026
-
The willingness to protect meaning over volume is precisely what has made the brand more culturally relevant than numerous others that came up alongside it and flopped.—
Jeetendr Sehdev,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Mary, our thirtysomething narrator, has recently boomeranged back to her hometown (York) after experiencing a break with reality that may or may not be psychotic.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
Lawrence boomeranged back to Lincoln after starting his career with Nebraska.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backfired.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backfired. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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