English Explanatory Dictionary

misfire

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. An act of misfiring.
  2. A failure.
verb
  1. To fail to discharge properly.
  2. To fail to ignite in the proper sequence.
  3. To initiate an action potential without the proper stimulus.
  4. To fail to achieve the anticipated result.

Pronunciation

/ˈmɪs.faɪ(ɹ)/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-misfire.wav /mɪsˈfaɪ(ɹ)/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-misfire2.wav /ˈmɪs.faɪ.ɚ/

Word forms

misfire misfires misfiring misfired

Etymology

Either a univerbation of earlier miss fire, or the compound mis- + fire (or possibly a confluence of both).

Related words

back fire backfire hang fire

Derived words

misfirer
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