Synonyms of fires

fires 1 of 2

noun

plural of fire

1

as in infernos

a destructive burning

a number of suspicious fires in the neighborhood recently

Synonyms & Similar Words

• infernos
• wildfires
• conflagrations
• blazes
• bonfires
• holocausts
• campfires
• forest fires
• backfires
• brush fires
• arsons
• flare-ups

2

as in ordeals

a test of faith, patience, or strength

asked to be sent to the front lines, as he was eager to prove himself in the fire of battle

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ordeals
• gauntlets
• trials
• crucibles
• crosses
• baptisms of fire
• tragedies
• misfortunes
• baptisms
• mishaps
• initiations
• woes
• tribulations
• grievances
• troubles
• challenges
• misadventures
• mischances
• privations
• hardships
• griefs
• adversities
• vicissitudes
• acid tests
• asperities
• complications
• afflictions
• rigors
• inconveniences
• difficulties
• litmus tests
• nuisances
• discomforts
• annoyances

fires

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of fire

1

as in shoots

to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force

police officers firing rubber bullets

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shoots
• launches
• throws
• blasts
• discharges
• hurls
• looses
• projects
• squeezes off
• flings
• catapults
• casts
• tosses
• blazes (at)
• lobs
• slings
• heaves
• hurtles
• pelts
• snipes (at)
• pitches

2

as in blasts

to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force

soldiers fired at the enemy in panic-stricken disorder

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shoots
• blasts
• blazes
• discharges
• peppers
• snipes
• plinks
• potshots

3

as in stimulates

to give life, vigor, or spirit to

a school outing to the natural history museum fired his imagination, and he grew up to become an eminent paleontologist

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stimulates
• stirs
• arouses
• animates
• provokes
• sparks
• activates
• spikes
• triggers
• awakens
• energizes
• cheers
• drives
• inspires
• electrifies
• vivifies
• excites
• lifts
• enlivens
• invigorates
• quickens
• vitalizes
• zips (up)
• revives
• braces
• raises
• motives
• motivates
• awakes
• recreates
• rouses
• jump-starts
• rallies
• propels
• amps (up)
• livens (up)
• charges
• moves
• strengthens
• fillips
• peps (up)
• boosts
• jazzes (up)
• gingers (up)
• kindles
• resurrects
• juices up
• refreshes
• wakes (up)
• galvanizes
• incites
• inflames
• actuates
• impels
• renews
• sets off
• ferments
• foments
• buoys
• instigates
• enkindles
• rekindles
• regenerates
• turns on
• infuses
• heartens
• reactivates
• whips (up)
• reawakens
• emboldens
• steels
• recharges
• fortifies
• abets
• resuscitates
• reanimates
• reinvigorates
• revitalizes
• rejuvenates
• reenergizes
• refreshens
• restimulates
• reawakes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• kills
• damps
• dampens
• wears
• drains
• deadens
• exhausts
• dulls
• burns out
• undermines
• weakens
• knocks out
• wears out
• saps
• harasses
• slows
• checks
• fatigues
• wearies
• washes out
• debilitates
• enfeebles
• curbs
• does in
• inhibits
• enervates
• suppresses
• restrains
• fags
• quenches
• stunts
• quells
• represses
• stills
• discourages
• kayoes
• demoralizes
• tuckers (out)
• daunts
• disheartens
• jades
• dispirits

4

as in sacks

to let go from office, service, or employment

fired the secretary for incompetence

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sacks
• dismisses
• removes
• retires
• releases
• discharges
• axes
• cans
• terminates
• bounces
• turns off
• pink-slips
• excesses
• shows (someone) the door
• musters out
• sends packing
• downsizes
• lays off
• cashiers
• boots (out)
• kicks out
• furloughs
• trims
• separates
• drums (out)
• unseats
• chucks (out)
• throws out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• employs
• retains
• hires
• engages
• keeps
• signs (up or on)
• takes on
• contracts
• rehires
• recruits
• reemploys
• subcontracts

5

as in throws

to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm

fired a pass to the running back

Synonyms & Similar Words

• throws
• hurls
• tosses
• flings
• launches
• bowls
• casts
• slings
• guns
• catapults
• heaves
• darts
• lobs
• pegs
• hurtles
• pitches
• dashes
• lofts
• flips
• chucks
• rifles
• lets fly
• pelts
• shoots
• thrusts
• rolls
• precipitates
• ejects
• passes
• projects
• propels
• hooks
• impels
• bucks

6

as in burns

to set (something) on fire

lit some kindling before attempting to fire the logs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• burns
• ignites
• scorches
• lights
• torches
• kindles
• inflames
• enkindles
• bakes
• illumines
• illuminates
• immolates
• cooks
• ashes
• incinerates
• broils
• kilns
• chars
• sets off
• stokes
• deflagrates
• relights
• rekindles
• brightens
• sears
• lightens
• cremates
• reignites
• frizzles
• irradiates
• radiates
• banks
• scalds
• scathes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extinguishes
• quenches
• puts out
• chokes
• smothers
• stamps (out)
• suffocates
• douses
• snuffs (out)
• obscures
• dims
• darkens
• blackens
• dulls

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fires

Noun

Since erupting Saturday, three fires in Spokane County have destroyed more than 700 structures, displaced tens of thousands of residents and threatened communities. — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

The impact set several fires in an industrial zone, Vorobyov wrote, with damage also done to an administrative building and an electrical substation. — David Brennan, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

Taiwan’s Hsinchu County is implementing the Smart Eye Guardian system to automate the monitoring of public-safety events, including hazards, fires, violent activity, traffic incidents and suspicious behavior. — Lee-Lean Shu, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Investigators have not connected Farinacci to the two other major blazes burning in the area, the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires, officials said. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026

The woman lived a block away, in an apartment that had escaped the fires in the war. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Authorities said the cause of the fires is still under investigation. — Kirk Siegler, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026

Cal Fire officials said night-flying helicopters attacked spot fires overnight while bulldozers cut a fire line along a ridge east of Sand Creek Road after flames crossed the roadway. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026

Living in Alpine, Anderson has had to evacuate his home because of wildfire threats, and noted that CalFire, the county and the community learned from the fires and are much better prepared now than in the past. — Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026

Verb

Zelenskyy is keen to move quickly on a coproduction agreement as Russia relentlessly fires ballistic missiles that are hard to stop and cause civilian casualties as well as inflicting huge damage on civilian areas. — ABC News, 24 July 2026

The machine fires X-ray beams at a subject, then uses a specialized camera to record how a bone absorbs the beams based on density. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 23 July 2026

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy fires his commander in chief after major protests. — Daniela Suarez, NBC news, 22 July 2026

Sky Rocket fires riders from 0 to 50 mph in under three seconds into a vertical top‑hat and three inversions, while Exterminator hides indoors as a spinning wild mouse in the dark. — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 22 July 2026

Amarildo instantly controls a quick throw-in, skips away from one Czech defender, hoodwinks another with a hip-swerve and, spotting keeper Schrojf off his line, fires the ball in at the near post. — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Getting to know Luke and his journey and his story, having Tommy John and going out and raking in college this year, all that fires me up. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 12 July 2026

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine fires a torpedo at the decommissioned USS Juneau in support of a live-fire sinking exercise (SINKEX) as part of Valiant Shield 2026 while underway in the Philippine Sea, June 27, 2026. — Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

The playlist that fires you up for routine tasks is likely to interfere with more demanding work. — Bridget K. Daleiden, The Conversation, 29 June 2026