mis·fire
ˌmis-ˈfī(-ə)r 
misfired; misfiring; misfires
1
: to have the explosive or propulsive charge fail to ignite at the proper time
the engine misfired
2
: to fail to fire
the gun misfired
3
: to miss an intended effect or objective
the new ad campaign misfired
mis·fire
ˌmis-ˈfī(-ə)r
ˈmis-ˌfī(-ə)r
1
: a failure (as of a cartridge or firearm) to fire
2
: something that misfires
Examples of misfire in a Sentence
Verb
their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail
Recent Examples on the Web
Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 13 Apr. 2025
On Monday, as stocks were tumbling, a mysterious, apparently misfired tweet about a 90-day tariff relief plan briefly turned the market around in a wild jolt.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Yahoo's Buffett-Tesla gag follows a long line of corporate April 1 misfires.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misfire
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Verb
Overseas, the movie misfired with $2 million from 47 territories for a global launch of $10 million.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 13 Apr. 2025
On Monday, as stocks were tumbling, a mysterious, apparently misfired tweet about a 90-day tariff relief plan briefly turned the market around in a wild jolt.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
And then, insult to injury: a misfire from the right-front wheel gun on his second visit, turning what should’ve been a two-second stop into a 6.2-second stall.
—Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Yahoo's Buffett-Tesla gag follows a long line of corporate April 1 misfires.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misfire
Cite this Entry
“Misfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misfire. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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