English Explanatory Dictionary

fight fire with fire

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To respond to an attack with a similar or identical counter-attack (e.g. to respond to gunfire with reciprocal gunfire).

Pronunciation

en-au-fight fire with fire.ogg

Word forms

fight fire with fire fights fire with fire fighting fire with fire fought fire with fire

Etymology

Either from the practice of starting back fires to prevent the uncontrolled spread of wildfires, or from gunfire which is fought by firing back at the enemy.

Related words

bring a knife to a gunfight eye for an eye set a thief to catch a thief take a hair of the dog that bit one use a sledgehammer to crack a nut
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