fire 1 of 3

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

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fire

2 of 3

verb (1)

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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fire (up)

3 of 3

verb (2)

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
Noun
  • During cocktail hour, Kors’ enthusiasm for the nonprofit continued to inspire support from potential new volunteers.
    Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Coleman also pushed back against the notion that enthusiasm for AI diminishes the value of human work.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Regardless of West Virginia’s record, TCU can’t overlook the Mountaineers, especially when the final four games of the season appear to be a gauntlet.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2025
  • While Mahomes has managed to stay upright without Simmons, Kansas City's next few games are a gauntlet.
    Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Thus, current fears reinforce a pre-existing localism, and infuse it with new and intense emotions.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Yet neuroscience shows us that perception is biased, emotions hijack reasoning, and threat‑detection systems, like the amygdala, can overreact.
    Big Think, Big Think, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Girls cross country In a Mid-Wach tri-meet, Ayer Shirley (9-0, 6-0 Mid-Wach D) remained undefeated after defeating host Clinton, 15-50, and Bay Path, 22-32.
    Kristina Banahan, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The wrap dress featured an asymmetric skirt design with thin, cross straps over an open back and waist cutout.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The country’s Afro-Portuguese history, its position as a more affordable European destination compared to France or Italy, and its genuine warmth toward international visitors have created the perfect storm.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Oct. 2025
  • This box-stitch quilt is available in the full/queen size, and it’s handcrafted and filled with polyester batting for plush warmth every night.
    Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fire. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

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