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
-
Sunday under a law that generally applies when a driver fails to obey an official traffic-control device.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
15 June 2026
-
The burn fails, but the capsule has just enough inertia to be drawn to Earth once again.—
Neil Oseman,
Space.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Dassault’s Mirage fighter – and more recently the Rafale – can creep into enemy airspace, dogfight, drop bombs and launch cruise missiles.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
Russia attacked three districts of the region more than 20 times with drones and aerial bombs, according to regional head Oleksandr Hanzha in a Telegram post on Saturday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Not stalls the standard 12-by-12 feet of other ranches but 14 feet square to give horses more room to move around naturally.—
Nielsen Dinwoodie,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
This process stalls improvements for years.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As for the review process, the NBA could limit reviews to shooting fouls resulting in free throws, potential sixth fouls, last two minutes of games, and allow coach's challenges for flops.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
-
So, Tom Steyer, welcome to the hall of infamy of filthy-rich flops.—
Garry South,
Mercury News,
11 June 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
-
Researchers examine how teams analyze data, communicate, and make decisions during unexpected technical failures or emergency alarms.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
17 June 2026
-
Across the country, bitter winter cold snaps accelerate battery failures overnight.—
Karen Koehler,
Charlotte Observer,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Samuel Moyn, a Yale law and history professor, thinks that debate misses the deeper story.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
-
Declaring victory for women investors while ignoring why women own less stock turns a gender difference into a gender war and misses the entire point.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Much like the stock market as a whole, a successful investment portfolio typically has exceptional stocks that more than overcome the subpar returns of the duds.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
Perhaps the biggest duds of this campaign season have been San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfires. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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