as in failing
to go wrong
their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misfiring
Manchester United The disappointment of 2024-25 was somewhat rectified by a summer spent remodelling a misfiring attack.
—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
21 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
Omega-3 fatty acids work by preventing the inflammatory response from misfiring, per Koff.
—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
5 Apr. 2026
While Heinrich ponders the misfiring neurons in the brain of a mass shooter, Jack’s pursuit of Mink—a character whose skin color and ambiguous ethnicity Jack remarks on repeatedly—leads him directly into the urban teeth of the War on Drugs.
—
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Medication can help but the main treatment is ablation, when doctors thread catheters to the heart to burn misfiring tissue.
—
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Then came the shot the crowd had been waiting for as the Pioneer had been misfiring all night from 3-point land.
—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
Given Young’s music centers around modern, misfiring romance, the statement was unexpected.
—
Ramon Ramirez,
Austin American Statesman,
13 Mar. 2026
Initially, speculation swirled online that the blast at the school could have been caused by misfiring Iranian air defenses, as the IRGC tried to repel incoming air strikes.
—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
21 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
Omega-3 fatty acids work by preventing the inflammatory response from misfiring, per Koff.
—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
5 Apr. 2026
While Heinrich ponders the misfiring neurons in the brain of a mass shooter, Jack’s pursuit of Mink—a character whose skin color and ambiguous ethnicity Jack remarks on repeatedly—leads him directly into the urban teeth of the War on Drugs.
—
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Medication can help but the main treatment is ablation, when doctors thread catheters to the heart to burn misfiring tissue.
—
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Then came the shot the crowd had been waiting for as the Pioneer had been misfiring all night from 3-point land.
—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
Given Young’s music centers around modern, misfiring romance, the statement was unexpected.
—
Ramon Ramirez,
Austin American Statesman,
13 Mar. 2026
Initially, speculation swirled online that the blast at the school could have been caused by misfiring Iranian air defenses, as the IRGC tried to repel incoming air strikes.
—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfiring
Verb
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State election officials say federal agencies are failing to provide security support needed for the midterms.
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The biggest transaction of his tenure occurred when Shohei Ohtani left the Angels after six seasons for the Dodgers in late 2023, the Angels failing to trade Ohtani for prospects before Ohtani became a free agent.
Verb
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Its success has caused fuel shortages and disrupted army supply lines, stalling Moscow’s full-scale invasion after more than four years of fighting.
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The indictment included photographs of Zhu and Frank Carone socializing at Zhu's Long Island home in June 2022, a time when the indictment said Zhu and Chen's efforts to secure an Emergency Shelter Contract through other means were stalling.
Verb
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Canada, the first World Cup host to play a game outside its borders, could get a boost if Alphonso Davies, its best player, can play after missing the team’s first three games.
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Elsewhere, Iran’s soccer team has been eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, missing the 32-team knockout stages by one spot in heartbreaking fashion.
Cite this Entry
“Misfiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfiring. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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