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
The fire pit even comes with a weatherproof cover to protect it from rain, snow, and hail. Clara McMahon, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025 Then Theo directs their digital home assistant to play their song and put on a fire before the screen goes white. Erin Jensen, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
Verb
Three officers fired their weapons and all three are on administrative leave, which is standard protocol, said Lee’s Summit Sgt. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025 Napear was fired by Sports 1140 KHTK – now known as Sactown Sports 1140 – and relieved of his duties as play-by-play announcer on Kings television broadcasts. Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fire
Noun
  • National Park Service officials say there was no way to predict the Dragon Bravo Fire would turn into an inferno, jump containment lines and rip through the Grand Canyon's North Rim, leaving a historic lodge and 100 other structures in smoking ruin.
    Stephanie Murray, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Around 1,000 firefighters are battling the huge inferno—which was only 7 percent contained at the start of the week—amid gusty winds and dry conditions.
    Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The goal is to allow the fire to meet the holding features at the lowest possible fire intensity.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Its presence in the night sky on Saturday may make any auroras harder to see, but that does depends on their intensity.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • See the full list of competitors and their partners, then press PLAY on the video above to watch Julianne Hough take a deep dive into her medical ordeal.
    Claire Franken, TVLine, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Just over 1,500 children have been rescued from Russia, with almost half of those facilitated by Save Ukraine, a charity dedicated to the return of Russian children who helped Katya get back to Ukrainian territory after her weekslong ordeal in the military camp.
    Guy Davies, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In the finale, Rick shoots Jim, setting off a line of crossfire that ultimately kills his girlfriend Chelsea (Amy Lou Wood) before Sritala (Lek Patravadi) reveals that Jim was actually Rick’s father.
    Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The Bundys’ statement said Finicum did not ram a law enforcement vehicle, pin a special agent or attempt to shoot Oregon State Police.
    Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • During World War II, the military constructed its northernmost deepwater port near Anchorage in Whittier but had to blast a 12-mile-long tunnel through a mountain to link it to railroad tracks.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
  • The pair each blasted ninth-inning home runs, the former a game-tying solo shot and the latter a go-ahead, three-run blast, as the Minnesota Twins completed a stunning comeback to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-5 in front of 42,235 at Rogers Centre on a record-setting dollar hot dog night.
    Dan Hayes, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • For the first part of the trial, Mowery spent 10 days in the hospital while doctors created a grid of more than 100 points on his head to try to find different circuits or certain activation for pain by watching and stimulating his brain.
    Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Drinking coffee may stimulate an increase in acid production in the stomach.
    Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Two days after that, Bayer Leverkusen sacked Erik ten Hag.
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
  • His parting vision of her funeral pyre both recalls and anticipates the devastated city of Carthage, sacked by Rome.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Lopez threw for 18 touchdowns and ran for seven at South Alabama, but Belichick and offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens were hesitant to use Lopez as a runner.
    David Ubben, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Videos and still photos showed Sergio Busquets throwing a punch, Luis Suarez spitting on a Sounders security official, and several other Miami players pushing, shoving, and grabbing Sounders players after the match, which drew a sellout crowd of 69,314 at Lumen Field in Seattle.
    Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fire. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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