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
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
After a curious Euro 2024, where Les Bleus went out in the semi-finals having scored only three goals from open play (two of which were own goals), head coach Didier Deschamps used the subsequent Nations League campaign to recalibrate his misfiring attack.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 22 Apr. 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
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
After a curious Euro 2024, where Les Bleus went out in the semi-finals having scored only three goals from open play (two of which were own goals), head coach Didier Deschamps used the subsequent Nations League campaign to recalibrate his misfiring attack.
—Tom Williams, New York Times, 22 Apr. 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
-
Ugarte previously agreed to a $25,000 settlement with the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission over failing to disclose outside income earned through his consulting firm while serving as a City Hall aide to Price.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
9 May 2026
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While the city has admirably put forward goals such as reducing chronic homelessness by 50%, ending family homelessness and eliminating long-term encampments within five years, there appear to be no consequences for repeatedly failing to meet these targets.—
Adam B. Summers,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
What refineries and traders are willing to pay for oil swings wildly after news breaks about attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf or diplomacy talks stalling.—
Cathy Bussewitz,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
What refineries and traders are willing to pay for oil swings wildly after news breaks about attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf or diplomacy talks stalling.—
Cathy Bussewitz,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
We now are faced with missing holidays with them to comply with their demands.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2026
-
Just 93 seconds later, with the Wild on its first power play of the game and Wedgewood missing his stick, Hughes scored his fourth goal of the playoffs, giving Minnesota its first multi-goal lead of the series.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfiring. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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