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fire
1[fahyuhr]
noun
a state, process, or instance of combustion in which fuel or other material is ignited and combined with oxygen, giving off light, heat, and flame.
a burning mass of material, as on a hearth or in a furnace.
the destructive burning of a building, town, forest, etc.; conflagration.
heat used for cooking, especially the lighted burner of a stove.
Put the kettle on the fire.
flashing light; luminous appearance.
brilliance, as of a gem.
burning passion; excitement or enthusiasm; ardor.
liveliness of imagination.
fever or inflammation.
severe trial or trouble; ordeal.
exposure to fire as a means of torture or ordeal.
strength, as of an alcoholic beverage.
a spark or sparks.
the discharge of firearms.
enemy fire.
the effect of firing military weapons.
to pour fire upon the enemy.
British., a gas or electric heater used for heating a room.
Literary., a luminous object, as a star.
heavenly fires.
verb (used with object)
to set on fire.
to supply with fuel or attend to the fire of (often followed byup ).
They fired the boiler.
to expose to the action of fire; subject to heat.
to apply heat to in a kiln for baking or glazing; burn.
to heat very slowly for the purpose of drying, as tea.
to inflame, as with passion; fill with ardor (often followed byup ).
to inspire.
to light or cause to glow as if on fire.
to discharge (a gun).
to project (a bullet or the like) by or as if by discharging from a gun.
to subject to explosion or explosive force, as a mine.
to cause (a device, machine, etc.) to start working (usually followed byup ).
I just fired up my new laptop.
to hurl; throw.
to fire a stone through a window.
to dismiss from a job.
Veterinary Medicine., to apply a heated iron to (the skin) in order to create a local inflammation of the superficial structures, with the intention of favorably affecting deeper inflammatory processes.
to drive out or away by or as by fire.
verb (used without object)
to take fire; be kindled.
to glow as if on fire.
to become inflamed with passion; become excited.
to shoot, as a gun.
to discharge a gun.
to fire at a fleeing enemy.
to hurl a projectile.
Music., to ring the bells of a chime all at once.
(of plant leaves) to turn yellow or brown before the plant matures.
(of an internal-combustion engine) to cause ignition of the air-fuel mixture in a cylinder or cylinders.
(of a nerve cell) to discharge an electric impulse.
adjective
Slang., cool, excellent, exciting, etc..
It would be so fire if we won those tickets!
verb phrase
fire off
to discharge (as weapons, ammunition, etc.).
Police fired off canisters of tear gas.
to write and send hurriedly.
She fired off an angry letter to her congressman.
fire away, to begin to talk and continue without slackening, as to ask a series of questions.
The reporters fired away at the president.
FIRE
2[fahyuhr]
abbreviation
finance, insurance, and real estate: the sector of the economy that revolves around financial transactions of various kinds made by professional agents for their clients.
financial independence, retire early: a movement among relatively young, well-paid professionals, especially those working in the tech industry, to achieve financial independence and retire early by radically cutting expenses and investing as much of their income and savings as possible.
verb (used without object)
Sometimes fire to achieve financial independence and retire early.
Do any of you who have FIREd still earn money doing stuff you like?
We won’t be FIREing anytime soon, but both my husband and I really enjoy being semi-retired.
In the course of firing, he downsized to a smaller home and maxed out his retirement plan contributions, allowing him to retire at 43.
fire
/ faɪə /
noun
the state of combustion in which inflammable material burns, producing heat, flames, and often smoke
a mass of burning coal, wood, etc, used esp in a hearth to heat a room
( in combination )
firewood
firelighter
a destructive conflagration, as of a forest, building, etc
a device for heating a room, etc
something resembling a fire in light or brilliance
a diamond's fire
a flash or spark of or as if of fire
the act of discharging weapons, artillery, etc
the shells, etc, fired
a burst or rapid volley
a fire of questions
intense passion; ardour
liveliness, as of imagination, thought, etc
a burning sensation sometimes produced by drinking strong alcoholic liquor
fever and inflammation
a severe trial or torment (esp in the phrase go through fire and water )
to ignite
to attract the criticism or censure of someone
to delay firing
to delay or be delayed
the evidence strongly suggests something has indeed happened
in a state of ignition
ardent or eager
informal, playing or performing at the height of one's abilities
to start firing a gun, artillery, etc
to be involved in something risky
to ignite
to arouse or excite
informal, to cause a great sensation
being attacked, as by weapons or by harsh criticism
(modifier) astrology of or relating to a group of three signs of the zodiac, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius Compare earth air water
verb
to discharge (a firearm or projectile) or (of a firearm, etc) to be discharged
to detonate (an explosive charge or device) or (of such a charge or device) to be detonated
informal, (tr) to dismiss from employment
(tr) ceramics to bake in a kiln to harden the clay, fix the glaze, etc
to kindle or be kindled; ignite
(tr) to provide with fuel
oil fires the heating system
(intr) to tend a fire
(tr) to subject to heat
(tr) to heat slowly so as to dry
(tr) to arouse to strong emotion
to glow or cause to glow
(intr) (of an internal-combustion engine) to ignite
(intr) (of grain) to become blotchy or yellow before maturity
vet science another word for cauterize
informal, (intr) (of a sportsman, etc) to play well or with enthusiasm
a cry to warn others of a fire
the order to begin firing a gun, artillery, etc
Other Word Forms
- firer noun
- fireable adjective
- fireless adjective
- counterfire noun
- refire verb
- unfired adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of fire1
Word History and Origins
Origin of fire1
Idioms and Phrases
fight fire with fire, to use the same tactics as one's opponent; return like for like.
take fire,
to become ignited; burn.
to become inspired with enthusiasm or zeal.
Everyone who heard him speak immediately took fire.
set fire to, Also set on fire.
to cause to burn; ignite.
to excite; arouse; inflame.
The painting set fire to the composer's imagination.
play with fire, to trifle with a serious or dangerous matter.
He didn't realize that insulting the border guards was playing with fire.
build a fire under, to cause or urge to take action, make a decision quickly, or work faster.
If somebody doesn't build a fire under that committee, it will never reach a decision.
catch (on) fire, to become ignited; burn: The movie set nearly caught on fire when a fire-related special effect went out of control.
The sofa caught fire from a lighted cigarette.
The movie set nearly caught on fire when a fire-related special effect went out of control.
between two fires, under physical or verbal attack from two or more sides simultaneously.
The senator is between two fires because of his stand on the bill.
hang fire,
to be delayed in exploding, or fail to explode.
to be undecided, postponed, or delayed.
The new housing project is hanging fire because of concerted opposition.
go through fire and water, to brave any danger or endure any trial.
He said he would go through fire and water to win her hand.
miss fire,
to fail to explode or discharge, as a firearm.
to fail to produce the desired effect; be unsuccessful.
He repeated the joke, but it missed fire the second time.
on fire,
ignited; burning; afire.
eager; ardent; zealous.
They were on fire to prove themselves in competition.
under fire,
under attack, especially by military forces.
under censure or criticism.
The school administration is under fire for its policies.
catch fire, to create enthusiasm.
His new book did not catch fire among his followers.
More idioms and phrases containing fire
- add fuel to the fire
- ball of fire
- baptism of fire
- catch fire
- caught in the cross-fire
- draw fire
- fat is in the fire
- fight fire with fire
- firing
- get on (like a house afire)
- hang fire
- hold one's fire
- hold someone's feet to the fire
- irons in the fire
- light a fire under
- line of fire
- miss fire
- no smoke without fire
- on fire
- open fire
- out of the frying pan into the fire
- play with fire
- set on fire
- set the world on fire
- spread like wildfire
- trial by fire
- under fire
- where's the fire
Example Sentences
The Dodger bullpen is a five-alarm fire, an unmitigated disaster, a total catastrophe.
If an aim of this memoir was to rally the troops for a Harris run in 2028, “107 Days” falls short of lighting a fire.
But after the fires, there was no question.
Quarterback Ryan Hopkins, bouncing back from turnovers last week, kept firing away against a strong Bishop Gorman defense, getting the ball to his outstanding receivers and not letting penalties or an interception reduce his confidence.
The occasional cut to Yul Vazquez as the fire chief spearheading rescue efforts, however, is this movie’s barometer of increasingly bad news.
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When To Use
Fire is what happens when a material is ignited and combined with oxygen, resulting in combustion. This results in light, heat, and a visible effect that usually appears as orange or yellow flames.Fire typically requires three ingredients: heat, fuel (something to burn), and oxygen.Fire is hard to describe since it’s different from the solid, liquid, and gaseous states of matter we’re used to observing (fire is usually a mixture of hot gases, but sometimes it’s a plasma, depending on what’s burning). But you know it when you see it: if you’ve ever lit a match or candle or burned wood in a fireplace, you’ve created fire.We describe an instance of fire as a fire, as in a fire in the fireplace or a house fire.If something is burning or consumed by fire, we say it is on fire, as in The stove is on fire.Fire can also be used metaphorically, such as to refer to intensity or extreme passion, as in The fire in my heart. It’s also commonly used in many idioms and expressions (such as fight fire with fire and playing with fire), and, more recently, as a slang term meaning awesome (as in Those shoes are fire).As a verb, fire commonly means to discharge a gun or to dismiss someone from a job.Fire has many other, more specific meanings as both a noun and a verb, and most of them are related in some way to literal fire.Example: The boss fired Dave after he fired a starter pistol inside the office, causing the ceiling to catch on fire.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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