as in failing
to go wrong
their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail
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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
-
When a school receives five failing ratings, a 2015 Texas law requires the campus in question be closed or a state takeover of the entire district.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Nov. 2025
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Howe made three changes at half-time — Ramsey for Gordon, Osula for Woltemade, Schar for Krafth — but if anything, Newcastle regressed, failing to manage a shot on target between the 39th and 89th minute.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Israel has accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by stalling in handing over bodies.—
Jana Choukeir,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
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Storms are stalling Just before or after landfall, hurricanes are now more likely to stall and dump immense amounts of rain, according to a study published last year.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Police reportedly conducted a welfare check at Lucero’s home last Tuesday after Vallejos told a healthcare company his mother had been missing for about a week.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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Some popular apps are missing, such as Apple Podcasts and Apple Music.—
Patrick George,
The Atlantic,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Misfiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfiring. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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