fire 1 of 2

1
as in inferno
a destructive burning a number of suspicious fires in the neighborhood recently

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fire

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to shoot
to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force police officers firing rubber bullets

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2
as in to blast
to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force soldiers fired at the enemy in panic-stricken disorder

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fire
Noun
In April 1906, an earthquake struck San Francisco, sparking a series of fires that destroyed more than 500 blocks in the center of the city. Chantelle Lee, Time, 21 Oct. 2025 Currently, there is no information on the containment of the fire and the cause of it has yet to be determined. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
North Korea test-fired what appeared to be multiple short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported. Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025 Antoni was supposed to succeed a BLS director who was fired following a disappointing jobs report. Fortune Editors, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fire
Noun
  • The scrutiny comes after the arrest of Jonathan Rinderknecht, who is accused of setting a smaller blaze six days earlier that authorities say sparked the larger inferno.
    Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 11 Oct. 2025
  • His partner also appeared to help pull the man away from the inferno.
    Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The property features Techno Gym equipment (the gym girlies that get it, get it), as well as high-intensity fitness classes and sauna/steam room.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The research team also revealed that the system is optimized for 625 parametric building designs covering different energy use intensities (EUI) and geometric configurations, defined by façade area-to-volume, length-to-width, and height-to-footprint ratios.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Two months into the ordeal, Kramer documents Atzili’s release from captivity and her husband’s burial.
    Addie Morfoot, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Evans — who died in 2023 at age 66 — described her ordeal to PEOPLE correspondent Maria Eftimiades for a 1993 cover story.
    Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Rogan’s comments come more than a month after conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot during a question-and-answer session at Utah Valley University on September 10.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Casting is clearly a challenge for Panahi’s movies, which are shot without permits in direct violation of the law (bypassing the obligation to submit his scripts to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for approval).
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • An annoying, biker beast blasted out of my bowels onto the page and became the not-so-invisible embodiment of my disease.
    David Soren, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Lehkonen played a give-and-go with MacKinnon on the right side and MacKinnon blasted a one-timer from the circle for the 3-1 lead.
    Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This powerhouse ingredient, beloved by dermatologists and editors alike, is known for its ability to speed cell turnover and, in doing so, stimulate collagen production to smooth wrinkles and fade dark spots.
    Deanna Pai, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Those numbers will likely stimulate even further investment in circular offerings in the sector.
    Justin Worland, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The sporting director who appointed him in the spring was sacked.
    James Horncastle, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Taylor went 10-of-22 for 126 yards and two interceptions, and was also sacked three times.
    Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • When laundry day rolls around, simply throw the durable topper in the laundry with the rest of your bedding for easy maintenance and tumble dry with no heat.
    Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
  • And to be thrown into now this separation and exploding, blowing up her family this way.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fire. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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