as in collapsing
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 backfiring
The president’s attacks and threats on Fed policymakers themselves are also backfiring.
—
Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
The overconfidence of the pro-Trump push in country music pre- and postelection is backfiring on many of its most enthusiastic emissaries.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Red Lobster's push to lure diners with cheap deals may be backfiring, with one retail expert warning the strategy could be attracting the wrong customer as losses continue to mount.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Maura Healey, posing with a powerful weapon in her hands, joins a long list of pols whose political pandering to hunters and gun owners could end up backfiring.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
But, more than that, there’s a danger for the governor of this advertising campaign backfiring.
—Larry Wilson, Oc Register, 14 Mar. 2026
Tehran's aim with the missile and drone fire has likely been to pressure the Gulf's monarchies to push their allies in Washington to end the war, but the Iranian calculus appears to be backfiring.
—CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
The result is an eventual cough that produces a sound comparable to a car backfiring through a bag of gelatine.
—Alexis Wilkinson, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
So this scatter gun, almost machine gun, offensive by the Iranians seems to be backfiring.
—Yarden Segev, NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026
Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
The overconfidence of the pro-Trump push in country music pre- and postelection is backfiring on many of its most enthusiastic emissaries.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Red Lobster's push to lure diners with cheap deals may be backfiring, with one retail expert warning the strategy could be attracting the wrong customer as losses continue to mount.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Maura Healey, posing with a powerful weapon in her hands, joins a long list of pols whose political pandering to hunters and gun owners could end up backfiring.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
But, more than that, there’s a danger for the governor of this advertising campaign backfiring.
—Larry Wilson, Oc Register, 14 Mar. 2026
Tehran's aim with the missile and drone fire has likely been to pressure the Gulf's monarchies to push their allies in Washington to end the war, but the Iranian calculus appears to be backfiring.
—CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
The result is an eventual cough that produces a sound comparable to a car backfiring through a bag of gelatine.
—Alexis Wilkinson, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
So this scatter gun, almost machine gun, offensive by the Iranians seems to be backfiring.
—Yarden Segev, NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backfiring
Verb
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In September, federal investigators with the National Institute of Standards and Technology said in a statement the partial collapse of the previous tower likely began from the pool deck, which started collapsing before the rest of the building.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The second force is collapsing barriers to entry.—
Michael Jacobides,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Magnus shook his head, his damp hair flopping against the back of his neck.—
Ben Mezrich,
Vanity Fair,
6 Apr. 2026
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And who knows — the Warriors might have won Sunday if Porziņģis hadn’t fallen prey to Alpren Sengun’s flopping.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backfiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backfiring. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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