misfire 1 of 2

verb

ˌmis-ˈfī(-ə)r How to pronounce misfire (audio)
Definition of misfirenext
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

misfire

2 of 2

noun

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
Verb
Even classic color duos can misfire if they’re not thought through. — Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 June 2026 Brunson rose for a deep three-pointer that misfired, but Anunoby weaved through traffic and tipped the ball in for a one-point lead to secure the win. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
Noun
Officials confirmed a misfire without providing details. — ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026 This decision to stop progress on Be Fri came in late 2023, months after Toy Story prequel movie Lightyear was a box office misfire in light of right-wing pundits causing commotion over its same-gender kiss. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for misfire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfire
  1. fail
  2. catastrophe
  3. miscarry
  4. bomb
  5. stall
  6. flop
  7. fiasco
  8. failure
Verb
  • Khan was being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility after failing to post 10% of his $500,000 bail.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • About 50% of restaurants fail within the first five years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of fail
Noun
  • Looking for traces of a Toba catastrophe in standard sediment cores was like timing a sprint with a calendar.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Near the end of the novel, the reader finds Anna living inside a kaleidoscope of catastrophe.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Verb
  • The Cincinnati Bengals player, 31, and his wife announced in a joint Instagram post on Friday, July 17, that their baby, a boy, miscarried at 16 weeks.
    — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 19 July 2026
  • Two years later, in May 2025, Andrews recorded an emotional episode on the same day her surrogate miscarried.
    — Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of miscarry
Noun
  • The Natrium reactor, like many of the newer small-scale projects, uses a special kind of refined uranium that's more concentrated than typical nuclear fuels, but still weaker than what's used for bombs.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
  • MbS has made no secret of his desire to build a bomb, and the deal would be a concrete step in that direction.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of bomb
Verb
  • That came after Tiffany Hayes (14 points) stalled some of Los Angeles’ momentum with a triple of her own a minute prior.
    — Marisa Ingemi, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Blakely's bid to build off a promising opening night stalled quickly.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of stall
Noun
  • Finish the look off with an elevated sandal like these minimalist flip flops from Dolce Vita or with feminine Mary Janes like Carel’s iconic Kina, and a statement bag like the Tommy from Staud.
    — Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Prior to his comments, WBD reported lackluster results for the second quarter, with revenue sandbagged by summer movie flop Supergirl and the lack of NBA telecasts.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of flop
Noun
  • Two lessons stand out from the Cook County inspector general’s assessment of the fiasco.
    — Tom Dowling, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • And outside of the biggest Kool-Aid® guzzlers in Cupertino, pretty much nobody thinks Apple is interested in going for another big bite of live sports, especially not in light of its MLS fiasco.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of fiasco
Noun
  • The failures of England’s previous generations were multi-faceted, but how much did the national culture feed into the acceptance of their behaviour?
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • These can overwhelm and damage your kidneys, leading to kidney failure.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of failure

Browse Nearby Words

misfeasors
misfire
misfired
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfire. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on misfire

Nglish: Translation of misfire for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All