misfires 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of misfire
as in fails
to go wrong their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

misfires

2 of 2

noun

plural of misfire
as in bombs

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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 misfires
Verb
An agent that misfires books the wrong shipment or approves the wrong invoice. — Emily Lewis-Pinnell, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Kennedy misfires Many of Kennedy's claims so far on autism have not withstood scientific scrutiny. — Amanda Seitz, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 Ackman’s misfires, though, have been offset by some prescient investments in the face of black swan events like the subprime mortgage crisis and COVID, cementing his reputation as one of the shrewdest and most daring risk-takers on Wall Street. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 20 July 2026 But the Raiders organization is rife with quarterback misfires in its recent history. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026 Sig Sauer faces a class action suit over claims that its P320 pistol misfires. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026 And research into why the brain misfires. — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2026 That optimism may be a bit misguided, considering the history of emerging sports league misfires. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026 The brain misfires on what feels charged or taboo. — Peter White, Deadline, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfires
  1. fails
  2. bombs
  3. stalls
  4. flops
  5. miscarries
  6. failures
  7. misses
  8. duds
Verb
  • Evans running back Daveon Williams goes 5 yards for the score and the Trojans extend the lead to 38-7 after the two point conversion fails.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The reason why so many hotels, cruise lines and tour operators still base prices on double occupancy is that their costs – the room, the berth, the coach seat, the guide – don’t fall by half when the second person fails to materialize.
    — Peter McGraw, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of fails
Noun
  • Josh Baker and fellow investigative journalist Sara Obeidat are in Damascus as bombs fall and gunfights break out.
    — Josh Baker, NPR, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Shahzad said he was trained by the Pakistani Taliban on how to make bombs.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of bombs
Verb
  • Paying Down Data Debt Without Halting AI The mistake most organizations make is treating data debt paydown as a two-year infrastructure project that stalls the AI road map.
    — Gopichand Mannava, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • This process stalls improvements for years.
    — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of stalls
Noun
  • But after Annapurna moved from financing its movies to distributing them in 2017, costs rose, flops piled up, and Megan Ellison scaled back her ambitions.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In taking such a single-minded view of the market, Tottenham are hoping to avoid signing any expensive flops – think Tanguy Ndombele or Roberto Soldado – or talented players who are unsuited to English football, such as Giovani Lo Celso.
    — Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of flops
Verb
  • Just after a third pregnancy also miscarries, Aje meets a young woman named Mayra in a hospital waiting room and the two get talking.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Definition of miscarries
Noun
  • Alpha has achieved several successful launches, but setbacks and failures have kept Firefly from establishing a routine launch cadence.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The convention, a novelty that doesn’t involve the party business typical of a gathering in a presidential year, is expected to contrast what the party sees as GOP wins, with Trump at the helm, against Democratic failures.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of failures
Verb
  • For example, if Josh Allen misses a couple of games and the Buffalo Bills lose both contests, the Bills may still be on the list.
    — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Holden, now 7, misses his big sister greatly, and finds comfort in sharing favorite memories.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of misses
Noun
  • Regular-season sked out mid-August will reveal Giannis’ for-real home unveiling, plus first visits by LeBron as a 76er and Tyler Herro in Milwaukee duds.
    — Greg Cote August 2, Miami Herald, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Big Tex’s new duds This State Fair of Texas news comes as a full circle moment for Resistol.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 July 2026
Definition of duds

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Cite this Entry

“Misfires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfires. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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