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 Lakers immediately broke parts of their championship team in hopes to bolster their depth, but the plan backfired.
—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
If reinvigorating the Party was Howard’s goal, however, the strategy has backfired spectacularly.
—
Oscar Schwartz,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
In an attempt to play more of a traditional center role for the Magic, Isaac added weight ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, but the decision, which was made collectively with him and the team, backfired.
—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2026
World Cup His bold decision to go with a nine-man rotation backfired in a 3-2 World Cup loss.
—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2026
After all, progressive overreach has backfired in the past.
—
Michelle Goldberg,
Mercury News,
27 June 2026
But combined with Disney‘s embarrassing The Mandalorian and Grogu influencer stunt that backfired, a movie’s first reactions on social media are increasingly being met with equal amounts of fan skepticism.
—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
26 June 2026
Bores’s loss is Big Tech’s win, but, overall, the AI industry’s strategy backfired.
—
Benjamin Guggenheim,
Washington Post,
24 June 2026
That campaign largely backfired, as USA TODAY previously reported.
—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
If reinvigorating the Party was Howard’s goal, however, the strategy has backfired spectacularly.
—
Oscar Schwartz,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
In an attempt to play more of a traditional center role for the Magic, Isaac added weight ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, but the decision, which was made collectively with him and the team, backfired.
—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2026
World Cup His bold decision to go with a nine-man rotation backfired in a 3-2 World Cup loss.
—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2026
After all, progressive overreach has backfired in the past.
—
Michelle Goldberg,
Mercury News,
27 June 2026
But combined with Disney‘s embarrassing The Mandalorian and Grogu influencer stunt that backfired, a movie’s first reactions on social media are increasingly being met with equal amounts of fan skepticism.
—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
26 June 2026
Bores’s loss is Big Tech’s win, but, overall, the AI industry’s strategy backfired.
—
Benjamin Guggenheim,
Washington Post,
24 June 2026
That campaign largely backfired, as USA TODAY previously reported.
—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backfired
Verb
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Witnesses said ambulances and rescue workers rushed to the scene after the roof collapsed.
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Families of the people in both apartment buildings – and others that collapsed in the area – have uploaded videos to social media in the days after the earthquake, pleading for help.
Verb
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Anders Carlson bombed in 2023, then Brayden Narveson flopped at the start of 2024.
-
The superhero movie flopped on opening weekend, with domestic ticket sales totaling approximately $38 million.
Verb
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Today, Netanyahu’s boast has boomeranged, transformed from an electoral asset into an advertisement of his diminished influence.
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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.
Cite this Entry
“Backfired.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backfired. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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