as in fails
to go wrong
their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail
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Recent Examples of misfires
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
As Wiener, the show’s curator, walks me through, her narration inevitably turns into a litany of the artist’s almosts, misfires, and losses.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 4 Feb. 2026
There were issues with intake manifold leaks, exhaust manifold cracking, coolant leaks, engine misfires due to corrosion, and water in the spark plug holes.
—John Paul, The Providence Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
In a bid to make Curtis jealous, Castor brings home from the nightclub the 20something Omar for an overnight hookup, but that misfires spectacularly.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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
As Wiener, the show’s curator, walks me through, her narration inevitably turns into a litany of the artist’s almosts, misfires, and losses.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 4 Feb. 2026
There were issues with intake manifold leaks, exhaust manifold cracking, coolant leaks, engine misfires due to corrosion, and water in the spark plug holes.
—John Paul, The Providence Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
In a bid to make Curtis jealous, Castor brings home from the nightclub the 20something Omar for an overnight hookup, but that misfires spectacularly.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfires
Verb
-
Conversely, state governors have the same ability when the federal government fails to perform their duties, under the Ninth and Tenth amendments.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
-
If the core players are anything other than spectacular, the team fails.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
In early March, the State Department made an emergency determination to bypass Congress and immediately sell 12,000 bombs to Israel.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
-
McCarthy has a deft way with crafting suspense in his script, leading with character first, planting conversational bombs that go off at intervals throughout the plot.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
This process stalls improvements for years.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
16 Mar. 2026
-
If his progress stalls out, this team is in trouble.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Phillies instead have been one of the biggest flops in baseball and had lost 10 straight games before ace Zack Wheeler led them to a win against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.—
Dan Gelston,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Spring break season is nearing its end, but before students across the country trade their flip flops for books again, a southern spring break staple is about to kick off.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Many failures can be offset by a single success, which means this form of investing is likely to result in major innovation.—
Anis Uzzaman,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
But that Panarin trade doesn’t erase the team’s missteps to that point, like the decision to run it back with Jim Hiller despite last postseason’s failures.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
At the busy lobby bar, those attending the function are easily distinguishable by their tuxedos and ball gowns from hotel guests in their Saturday-night duds.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Too often the Dolphins had to trade away resources to draft positions of need, and often ended up with duds like Liam Eichenberg doing so.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
Noun
-
California is being hammered with more frequent and devastating catastrophes, and that’s making the entire insurance market riskier and more expensive, exacerbating mistakes made by government and the private sector alike.—
Ben Allen,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
-
What was in the hearts of the humans who diarized catastrophes on the Elbe’s river rocks seven centuries ago—and in 2018?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfires. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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