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Glite Dictionary
🔄 To go wrong 💥 To make a bang 💥 A loud noise 🔥 A control fire 🔥 To set a fire 🔄 A bad result
to backfire

to backfire

7.4
To set a fire on purpose to burn fuel ahead of a wildfire and stop it
  • verb
  • /ˈbækˌfaɪər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hacer un contrafuego
  • To protect the forest, the rangers will backfire some areas to prevent the fire from spreading further.

Examples

  • I think it backfired.

    The Hangover (2009)

  • Burn the gun, place them to backfire.

    Boy Kills World (2024)

  • Officials opted to pull back to roads and backfire, leaving the bulk of the mountain to burn itself out during the height of summer.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The firefighters decided to backfire in order to create a controlled burn that would stop the advancing wildfire.

  • In the fight against the wildfire, they used a backfire strategy to eliminate potential fuel for the flames.

Synonyms

to burn off
vsto backfire
1 5.6

Clear land of plants by burning them

is started specifically to halt an advancing forest or prairie fire

Antonyms

to put out a fire
5 2.5

Stop a fire burning and spreading

Phrasal Verbs

to backfire spectacularly
1 7.7

To fail in a way that makes things much worse

How Controlled

to backfire
  • Specialized
7.4
to set alight
  • UK
1 4.2
to ignite
66 4.0

Surface Forms

backfire infinitive
backfired past
backfired past participle
backfiring present participle
backfires third person singular

Morphology

backfire = back + fire (transparent) = back + fire

The verb denotes the act of setting a fire to burn back toward an approaching blaze; the morphological composition is literal.

Etymology

The word backfire comes from back ('behind') and fire ('burning'). To backfire is to set a small fire behind an advancing blaze so the fire will remove fuel and stop the main fire.