as in failing
to go wrong
their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 misfiring
Liverpool’s defence was so shaky that even the misfiring attack went unnoticed.
—
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Your intuition might be misfiring!
—Usa Today, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
In the 1950s, researchers used a primitive electronic sensor to identify the misfiring neurons that give rise to Parkinson’s disease.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2022
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Your intuition might be misfiring!
—Usa Today, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
In the 1950s, researchers used a primitive electronic sensor to identify the misfiring neurons that give rise to Parkinson’s disease.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfiring
Verb
-
Rams 23, 49ers 20 Lock of the Week Much was made this week about the Bills failing to acquire a wide receiver at the trade deadline and whether that handicaps their Super Bowl chances.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
-
There was excessive growth of microtubules that wasn’t caused by an increase in gene activity, but likely due to the cells failing to clear away old or misfolded proteins.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Miami’s first drive stalls A Carson Beck sack ultimately led to Miami’s first drive of the game stalling near midfield.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Because of these risks, the security implications of adopting AI are mounting faster than many enterprises can manage, leading to serious discussions on how to keep these systems safe without stalling progress.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Despite posting one of the highest payrolls in all of baseball, the Mets ended up missing the postseason following a 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins in the last game of the regular season.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
There was always at least one letter missing from the words Racquet Club on the outside of the building.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Misfiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfiring. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share