fire 1 of 2

1
as in inferno
a destructive burning a number of suspicious fires in the neighborhood recently

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fire

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to shoot
to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force police officers firing rubber bullets

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2
as in to blast
to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force soldiers fired at the enemy in panic-stricken disorder

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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 fire
Noun
Headlined by a performance by Adam Blackstone & Friends, the program will spotlight the firefighters, business owners, community leaders and Altadena locals who were affected by the fires. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 20 Feb. 2025 The series was postponed due to the Los Angeles fires. Stephanie Nolasco, Fox News, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
On Tuesday, several national news outlets said the U.S. Department of Agriculture was trying to rehire several bird flu experts mistakenly fired with the Trump administration’s mass layoffs as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost cuts. Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 21 Feb. 2025 At least 3,000 additional people were fired from the U.S. Forest Service, which often works in concert with the parks. Ruffin Prevost, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fire
Noun
  • The inferno that raged across the Palisades on Jan. 7 took thousands of homes and several lives.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2025
  • Despite tens of billions of dollars spent so far in California alone to reduce the risk of electric ignition, last month's infernos suggest that much more needs to be done to make sure the electric grid does not contribute to more tragedy.
    Jeff Young, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The green, figgy freshness cuts through the intensity of Extradose’s vanilla and rum, creating a fascinating contrast that feels both sophisticated and playful.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The gel-like texture goes on sheer but allows for buildable intensity—with color pairings ranging from a soft pink and caramel to a rich berry and chocolate combo.
    Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Manchester City also expressed full support for their star forward during the ordeal.
    Oumou Fofana, Essence, 21 Feb. 2025
  • The Polish Space Agency also addressed the ordeal in a statement, noting that the rocket part’s trajectory would have carried it toward Poland.
    Jackie Wattles, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The jokey, gleefully profane lyrics are stimulating in the moment but then quickly forgotten, like novelty songs in a clever college cabaret.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Such a device could perhaps stimulate different parts of the tongue to, say, determine if the brain was processing sensory signals properly.
    Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The four-man pass rush generated 16 pressures and sacked Mahomes six times, the most in his career.
    Nate Taylor, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
  • The Philadelphia Eagles completely stymied the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense in Super Bowl LIX, sacking Patrick Mahomes and causing three turnovers on their way to a big win.
    Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has focused much of his time in office on curbing violence from gangs like MS-13, arresting nearly 1% of the country’s population and throwing thousands of gang members in prison.
    Max Saltman, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025
  • On a 3-2 count, the Rangers’ Jack Leiter threw Lee a payoff slider down in the dirt.
    Justice delos Santos, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.
    Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.
    Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023
Noun
  • Scoble’s sweeping vision of the future shaped my thinking and fueled the enthusiasm to write my own book, Charlie Fink’s Metaverse, which came out just thirteen months later.
    Charlie Fink, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Cass Goodner, in his wisdom, did not share their enthusiasm.
    Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fire. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

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