FIRING Synonyms: 269 Similar and Opposite Words

firing 1 of 2

noun

ˈfī-riŋ

Definition of firing

as in blasting

a directed propelling of a missile by a firearm or artillery piece found a flaw in the gun's firing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

firing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of fire

as in shooting

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in discharging

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in stimulating

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sacking

to let go from office, service, or employment fired the secretary for incompetence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in throwing

to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm fired a pass to the running back

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in burning

to set (something) on fire lit some kindling before attempting to fire the logs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 firing

Noun

Certified pyrotechnicians like Hruska who launch professional-grade fireworks use electronic firing systems that are operated from a safe distance with a push of a button. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 July 2026 The high court ruled earlier this week that Trump could not fire Cook for now because her legal challenge against her firing is still playing out. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 2 July 2026

Verb

Since firing Mendoza and replacing him with Green, the farm director, the Mets have gone 5-8. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 July 2026 The family of a woman who was shot dead by Miami police officers who were firing at someone else outside a Wynwood nightclub last summer is suing the department, the city, the club and the security company that was working that night. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for firing

Recent Examples of Synonyms for firing

Noun

On a night he was named an All-Star for the third straight season and 10th time in his career, pitcher Chris Sale led the Braves in an 14-3 blasting of the Mets on Saturday at Truist Park.

— Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
Five jettisoned from Arguijo-Mejia’s apartment, through his door, through the hallway wall, with three blasting into Ojeda’s kitchen.

— Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 6 June 2026

Definition of blasting

Verb

The post added that the officers approached the property from the back of the house before shooting and killing the dog.

— Andre Butso, AJC.com, 10 July 2026
Tzikas pointed to the San Juan Rapids, Clay Banks and Sailor Bar areas as those with stronger currents and eddies that can throw individuals from their rafts and paddleboards or submerge them before shooting them rapidly downstream.

— Reeti Malhotra July 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of shooting

Verb

There’s also something deeply stimulating about that process.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 8 July 2026
Most are used for stimulating scalp massages that help stimulate blood circulation to hair follicles while deeply moisturizing and conditioning the hair and scalp simultaneously.

— BestReviews, Mercury News, 7 July 2026

Definition of stimulating

Verb

To an outsider, the scene may spark a certain Schadenfreude, like an army of tiny barbarians sacking Rome.

— Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
One source close to the squad, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, told The Athletic that the AUF considered sacking Bielsa around this period, aware of the ongoing issues with the squad.

— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 June 2026

Definition of sacking

Verb

Barczi, a 6-foot-3, 217-pound catcher, suffered an injury in his throwing shoulder on a slide during a game against Eastern Michigan.

— Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
Rangers starter Jacob deGrom left after throwing 80 pitches in five innings because of an issue with his left hip and leg.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of throwing

Verb

While Starlink's connectivity business is profitable, its average revenue per user is declining, forcing it to subsidize the cash-burning Space and AI divisions.

— Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Spain and Portugal have faced deadly fires before Spain is no stranger to wildfires, with last year’s fire season burning almost 1,520 square miles, according to the European Forest Fire Information System, an area twice as large as London.

— Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

Definition of burning

Noun

But because of the devastation from Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, the elections were limited to one municipality, leaving only around five percent of the population—70,000 voters—eligible to cast their ballots.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 July 2026
Moscow has responded by intensifying its bombardment on Kyiv and other cities, exposing Ukraine’s vulnerability to ballistic missile strikes.

— Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of bombardment

Verb

All of this would give US forces an advantage in any future conflict with China, which is still in the early stages of launching its own versions of Starlink.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026
To manage this change, the military is launching a transition program designed to retrain existing weapons and combat systems specialists to become fully qualified pilots for the B-21 fleet.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026

Definition of launching

Browse Nearby Words

fireworks

firing

firing (at)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Firing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firing. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of firing

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on firing

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

loquacious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes