misfiring

verb

present participle of misfire
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

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 The second worker was clipped in the jaw by a misfiring nail gun. — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfiring
  1. failing
  2. stalling
  3. missing
Verb
  • The water main break was the latest in Los Angeles over the last few months as officials struggle with aging infrastructure and failing water systems that have caused major disruptions for motorists and residents.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • After years of bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, and racketeering, Capone went down not for murder or mayhem but for failing to pay taxes.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of failing
Verb
  • Their replacements arrived three weeks late because of capsule repairs, stalling this crew’s homecoming.
    — Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The memoir also details Cooper’s crippling, career-stalling struggles with substance abuse during the late ‘70s and goes into depth about his subsequent re-embrace of Christianity and his current beliefs and practices.
    — Gary Graff, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of stalling
Verb
  • Sacramento County sheriff’s officials on Friday asked the public to help find a missing woman who was last seen more than a week ago and is considered at risk.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The bottles were being prepped for a shipment abroad, and employees only found the wine was missing upon their arrival on Monday morning, according to the publication.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of missing

Browse Nearby Words

misfires
misfiring
misfit
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Cite this Entry

“Misfiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfiring. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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