as in to fail
to go wrong
their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in catastrophe
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misfire
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
That optimism may be a bit misguided, considering the history of emerging sports league misfires.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Nov. 2025
By Deborah Brennan, CalMatters California lawmakers are demanding answers after a live fire demonstration over Camp Pendleton Saturday led to a misfire that rained shrapnel on Interstate 5, striking two California Highway Patrol vehicles.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misfire
Verb
On the next sequence, after Traoré misfired, Devin Carter hit a six-footer to cap a 7-0 run.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
That optimism may be a bit misguided, considering the history of emerging sports league misfires.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
Bill Self had seen enough after watching sophomore big man Flory Bidunga misfire on three inside shots and also fail to prevent a pair of inside buckets in the early moments of Kansas’ Players Era opener against Notre Dame on Monday at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Nov. 2025
By Deborah Brennan, CalMatters California lawmakers are demanding answers after a live fire demonstration over Camp Pendleton Saturday led to a misfire that rained shrapnel on Interstate 5, striking two California Highway Patrol vehicles.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misfire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfire
Verb
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The lawsuit alleged that Bank of America failed to file suspicious activity reports, known as SARs, until after Epstein's death in 2019.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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During the next two and a half years, Beckham and various investors tried, and failed, to land a stadium deal.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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It was later identified, by an unnamed official to thel, as showing a bunker buster bomb attack on an ammunition depot in the city.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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The attack, which reportedly used 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, marks a major escalation as the conflict in the region entered its second month.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Women infected during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, are more likely to miscarry or have a stillbirth.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
2 Mar. 2026
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The standard of care for miscarrying patients in the second trimester, for example, is to offer to empty the uterus, which can lower the risk of infection and sepsis, according to leading medical organizations.—
Cassandra Jaramillo,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Presenting the album to media and industry guests, Flea looked right at home wearing flip flops on a hot summer’s day.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
27 Mar. 2026
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Kim gave back the stroke with a bogey on the par-4 16th, then hit a flop from deep rough to 2 1/2 feet to save par after hitting long on the par-3 17th.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Senate bill does not include ICE reforms, but House Democrats were prepared to vote for the deal since funding for deportations would continue to be stalled.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
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Those bills have stalled as well.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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To hear the critics’ version of events, an unprovoked and unnecessary attack on Iran, launched at Israel’s behest, is already a foreign-policy fiasco that has put the global economy at risk without any clear objective or endgame.—
Bret Stephens,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Now, because of his imprudent and inaccurate sloganeering, even with a majority of his appointees sitting on the board, the mayor faces the prospect of a legal and political fiasco that implicates the honesty of his most prominent promise to his constituents.—
Christian Browne,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 2023, the number dropped significantly, even as supervision failures within jails persisted, down to 63.—
Ryan Oehrli
April 1,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
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Prosecutors also cited Cortez Johnson's prior probation violations, failures to appear, and past convictions.—
Chelsea Jones,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After 48 years of unsuccessful politicking, one might be tempted to call the idea of indexing capital gains a certified washout.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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There are low chances for rain from Wednesday into the weekend but no day looks like a complete washout.—
Rachael Jay,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfire. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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