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
Ben Morse, CNN Money, 26 May 2025
But then Betts misfired on a flip to second base, sailing the ball over teammate Tommy Edman’s head to put runners on the corners.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
Paige Williams, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
To avoid costly misfires, companies must move beyond generic AI and build or adopt solutions grounded in the realities of their vertical.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for misfire
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Verb
The forward scored 20 and snatched eight rebounds in the final quarter while Indiana began misfiring on offense.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 26 May 2025
But then Betts misfired on a flip to second base, sailing the ball over teammate Tommy Edman’s head to put runners on the corners.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
Noun
Years ago, the cemetery had to walk back a programming misfire involving horror movies.
—Paige Williams, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
To avoid costly misfires, companies must move beyond generic AI and build or adopt solutions grounded in the realities of their vertical.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 May 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 5 Jun. 2025.
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