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
Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 2 May 2026
The Celtics fell into an early 11-4 hole while misfiring on seven of their first nine shots.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for misfire
Verb
Linscott said the researchers at first suspected their computer modelling misfired.
—Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 2 May 2026
The Celtics fell into an early 11-4 hole while misfiring on seven of their first nine shots.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
Noun
While such reports by Muddy Waters and others have in the past proved devastating, this one appears to be a misfire.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for misfire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfire
Verb
-
However, the anticipated state finals clash was not to be as Calabasas dropped the baton in the Southern Section finals and failed to advance.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
It has been cited seven times by the AQMD since 2012 for such things as failing to report breakdowns and failing to maintain a system that measures and records temperatures.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Liaquat Ahamed has spent his career studying the moments when the world’s financial system breaks down — the bad bets, the collective delusions, and the geopolitical accidents that tip economies into catastrophe.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
-
Richards had begun privately doubting the timeline—traveling to Paris and London for modeling work, looking around, and noticing an absence of catastrophe.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Sacramento County sheriff’s and FBI bomb technicians disposed and tested the explosive.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
-
During its combat service history, the Harrier II was typically armed with a wide range of weapon systems, including the air-to-air AMRAAM and Sparrow missiles, air-to-surface AGM-65 Maverick missiles, anti-ship Harpoon and Sea Eagle missiles, a 25mm cannon, and various bombs and rockets.—
Peter Suciu,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Hamel became pregnant in October 2025 and miscarried, and her sister became pregnant soon after and also miscarried.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
-
Goodman miscarried multiple times, and lost at least one child in infancy.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Flip-flops are an obvious summer staple, but Hadid’s black leather pair is such a versatile pick.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
29 May 2026
-
Flip-flops are widely believed to be a poor pick for arch support—but the Clarks Breeze Sea Sandals prove that notion incorrect.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The cracks in the Kremlin’s consensus became apparent this spring, as Russian advances in eastern Ukraine stalled.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
-
Its Senate sponsor, Chicago Democrat Ram Villivalam, acknowledged more work was needed without specifying what stalled the bill.—
Jack O'Connor,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
The episode begins with the Napiers and their team dealing with a flooding fiasco after heavy rain from the night before led to a water leak that damaged four rooms.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
-
The Department of Labor and Employment’s financial monitoring unit issued Spesshardt an internal infraction for his role in the GPS contract fiasco.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Her son was cited for careless driving and failure to signal.—
Topher Sanders,
ProPublica,
2 June 2026
-
Blue Origin should be able to identify the cause of the failure and get the rocket flying safely again.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfire. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
