as in to fail
to go wrong
their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in catastrophe
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 misfire
Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
And in 2022, after a man pointed a gun at Argentina’s then-Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner that misfired, Argentinians accused the ruling party of staging the incident to distract from Kirchner’s corruption trial.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Three years of growth and dedicated time to the craft of basketball counteracted one solitary misfire.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misfire
Verb
But the Raiders organization is rife with quarterback misfires in its recent history.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
And in 2022, after a man pointed a gun at Argentina’s then-Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner that misfired, Argentinians accused the ruling party of staging the incident to distract from Kirchner’s corruption trial.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
Even the Matthew Tkachuk trade, which seemed like a win initially for the Flames, now looks like a misfire with the way things have gone for Jonathan Huberdeau.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Three years of growth and dedicated time to the craft of basketball counteracted one solitary misfire.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for misfire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfire
Verb
-
In early 2022, after the state failed to pass a ban on such care for minors, Paxton wrote a legal opinion declaring transition care for minors to be child abuse.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
16 May 2026
-
The city filed a lawsuit saying the federal government failed to perform required reviews of how the project would affect the health and safety of residents and the environment.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
For much the same reason, developers, architects and builders are starting to stress proactively designing for climate catastrophe.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Local elections in England are usually low-stakes affairs, but this year’s results proved to be a catastrophe for the Labour Party.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The Defense Ministry said in a terse statement that soldiers discovered a bomb that was ready to be detonated in the central Bab Sharqi district of Damascus.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
Republicans said the deal was not effectively keeping Iran from building a bomb.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Gutierrez had been held hostage alongside two of his nieces, one of whom was three months pregnant and subsequently miscarried.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Women infected during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, are more likely to miscarry or have a stillbirth.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
At the federal level, three live propositions each flop on different grounds.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
-
Merrill feared a flop until Lamont enlisted Francisco Borges, the former state treasurer, to lead a fundraising effort.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The lack of diesel has stalled the agricultural sector, marine vessels and trucks, Piñon said.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
-
In western Palm Beach County, a proposal to build a massive data center has stalled as neighbors in a suburban community called Arden have pushed back against the project, which would require rezoning to build.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The fiasco left aspiring translators in Korea, most of them people of color, with one less route into the profession, further enabling white people’s social and actual capital to be kept within their possession.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The fiasco played out for days and led to in-depth reviews at both the BBC and BAFTA.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The Virginia house of burgesses voted to thank him and the militia for their service, with the lawmakers attributing the defeat to the failure of the other colonies to come to Virginia’s aid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Rory McIlroy thinks back on three holes — his failure to birdie the par-5 ninth and the par-5 16th, and a big miss in his biggest moment.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfire. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
