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
The person recording the footage said the vessel had just been hit twice and was on fire about 14 miles from port in Malta. Sam Mednick and Renata Brito, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025 As a first-time candidate, Trump lit the GOP field on fire with his heterodox presidential campaign, while Rubio at one point represented the last, best hope for the establishment Republican Party. Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2025
Verb
Myrtle Beach—a popular, coastal South Carolina city for snowbirds and locals alike—is firing back against a study ranking it the No. 2 most unsafe beach in the United States. Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025 While the mice were running along the track, brain cells that control spatial encoding were firing. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for fire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fire
Noun
  • The documentary captures a sheriff’s deputy reminiscing about her car slowing in the middle of an inferno as her tires melted.
    Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025
  • In between those stretches, Minnesota was a blazing inferno, hitting 20 of 35 attempts from beyond the arc to blitz the Lakers in Game 1.
    Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The challenge isn't new, but the intensity is unprecedented.
    Tomás O’Leary, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • There’s some intensity brewing now too, as power-hungry planet Pluto stations retrograde on May 4 in your sign.
    Nina Kahn, StyleCaster, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • As the stars of Another Simple Favor dodge questions about their co-star’s ordeal, director Paul Feig is coming to Blake Lively‘s defense.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 3 May 2025
  • Two years after Gwyneth Paltrow had her day in court, the Hollywood powerhouse is giving her verdict on the legal ordeal.
    Edward Segarra, USA Today, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • After so much enthusiasm and excitement following his winter move from Mercedes, reality is setting in for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.
    Luke Smith, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The company was able to lean on the enthusiasm and raw, emotional responses that moviegoers, including social media influencers, were having to the film.
    Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Ahead of the always-pivotal gauntlet of Restaurant Wars, after which the production will leave its home base of Toronto for other locales across Canada, Simmons, Kish and head judge Tom Colicchio sat down with Variety.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 1 May 2025
  • Whilst 500 million Windows 10 users are sitting on a free Windows 11 upgrade offer, this less fortunate group needs to decide between a hefty PC upgrade bill or the risk of running the security gauntlet without support.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Though Justin and Keisha, and Katherine and Michael (Blume’s characters), are dealing with the same party-pack of teenage emotions — uncertainty, humiliation, brilliance, headassness — their experiences aren’t the same.
    Jazmine Hughes, Vulture, 2 May 2025
  • Detroit and New York traded blows throughout the fourth, with the crowd at Little Caesars Arena going through a rollercoaster of emotions.
    The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • Other architectural details reveal the building’s history, from the cross above Rumi Bar’s entrance from its time as a church to the remarkable archaeological discoveries made on-site, including ancient mummies.
    Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Julian Alvarez jumped to block a cross that never came and Trossard was free to shoot with his left foot — it was deflected in off Manuel Akanji.
    Art de Roché, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • For blue eyes, warm browns are always a win; on brown eyes, copper or bronze tones bring warmth and depth.
    Jenny Berg, Vogue, 2 May 2025
  • People often describe the feeling as that of ‘waves of warmth’, or tingling and light moving through them.
    Felicity Carter, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fire. Accessed 10 May. 2025.

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