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
-
Over time, blood vessels begin leaking, leading to bleeding, blood pressure can drop, blood fails to reach different parts of the body and the kidneys can fail.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Why polarization holds where charge fails Ferroelectricity refers to the ability of certain materials to maintain a permanent, spontaneous electric polarization.—
Deena Theresa,
Interesting Engineering,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Zelensky said on Sunday morning that the Russians had launched 3,170 drones, 1,300 bombs, and over 70 missiles at Ukraine, killing 52 people and injuring 346 others.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
17 May 2026
-
And farmers kill elephants by gunshot, electrocution and jaw bombs — explosives hidden in food that shatter an elephant's jaws so the animal starves to death.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
This process stalls improvements for years.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The irony is that, over time, those same systems become the choke points that determine who can scale and who stalls.—
Alexandre de Vigan,
Forbes.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
One of Sisto’s favorite ways to incorporate color is through accessories like the Project Cloud Flip-flops in a bold red, which add an effortless statement to otherwise simple outfits.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
16 May 2026
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There have been hits from both the indie and major studio, but the number of flops has far outnumberd the success stories.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
11 May 2026
Noun
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In mid-2025, the ARISE team reported that the best-performing model achieved a 70% success rate, with most failures clustering around tasks requiring three or more steps.—
Spencer Dorn,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
As in most insurance company failures, PHL flopped for several reasons.—
Gretchen Morgenson,
NBC news,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
But against Oklahoma City in the West finals, Randle had two massive duds in the only two non-blowouts in the series.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
After going home, the man scratched a couple of the tickets that proved to be duds, officials added.—
Paloma Chavez,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
-
The kind of tiny culinary catastrophes most diners would never notice, but that a young chef chasing greatness apparently sees in his sleep.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Misfires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfires. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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