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
Mayfield completed his first six passes before misfiring on a cross-field, 13-yard toss to Payne Durham, who was wide open in the end zone.
—
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Mayfield completed his first six passes before misfiring on a cross-field, 13-yard toss to Payne Durham, who was wide open in the end zone.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
But Cunningham manufactured another five free-throw attempts in the closing seconds, hitting four before misfiring on the fifth.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025
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
Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Mayfield completed his first six passes before misfiring on a cross-field, 13-yard toss to Payne Durham, who was wide open in the end zone.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
But Cunningham manufactured another five free-throw attempts in the closing seconds, hitting four before misfiring on the fifth.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfiring
Verb
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More than 10,000 people have reportedly been arrested in recent weeks for participating in the anti-government protests sparked by Iran’s failing economy, according to human rights groups, and many have begun to demand total regime change as the demonstrations continue.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Some of Miami’s 23 turnovers were a function of OKC’s attacking defense, but others were simply careless, including an over-and-back violation by Jaime Jaquez; Dru Smith and Pelle Larsson passes to nobody in particular; and Bam Adebayo failing to grab a catchable pass that sailed out of bounds.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sliding rents and soaring construction costs have pinched developers, Brending said, stalling at least three large-scale projects in the State Street district.—
Mark Dee,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Jan. 2026
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Brown went on to insist his team was not stalling while working on the case, according to the Post.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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Ryan Kalkbrenner also returned to the lineup after missing two weeks of action and played in the past two matchups, serving as the backup center in Utah and in the first half against the Clippers before being reinserted into Hornets’ starting unit in the second half.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfiring. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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