to fire
- verb
- /faɪər/
- And then when you fire it, the weed-- the weeds burn off.
Examples
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She did what she failed to do a year ago, set the whole place to fire.
-
And in turn, the maroon set fire to his house.
-
And it also set fire to Seven World Trade Center.
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And he set fire to the clutch.
-
Then Carlota, with her machine gun and Commander Toni fired to set them on fire.
-
Fire the barns.
-
Korboga, accusing his commanders of treachery, possibly correctly, set fire to his camp and withdrew.
-
The children accidentally fired their old toys in the bonfire.
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In the midst of the forest, they fired a pile of dry leaves to clear the area.
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During the camp, we fired a wooden log to create warmth for the night.
Synonyms
To be on fire or damage something with heat
To destroy a building or object completely by fire
Make something start burning
To set fire to something on purpose
To make something start burning
To burn something completely so it is destroyed
To be completely destroyed by fire
To burn until it turns to ash
To catch fire or make something burn
To make something start burning
Make something start to burn
To make something start burning
To make something start burning
To make something start burning, for example paper or dry grass
To set fire to something
To make something start to burn, like a fire or a strong feeling
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
Make someone do what they promised or take responsibility by pressuring them
- Informal
To make a bad situation worse by saying or doing something that makes people angrier
Save someone from a difficult situation at the last moment
- Informal
Strong energy and passion that continue even when someone gets older
To pay attention to something unimportant instead of the main task
- Informal
Escaping a bad situation and ending in a much worse one
- Archaic
To cause great excitement or a big effect, often said to mean something is not impressive
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
A group that sends people to put out fires and help in emergencies in the local area
A staircase or metal ladder on the outside of a building used to get out during a fire
- Formal
A person who makes sure buildings are safe from fire, investigates fires, and enforces fire safety rules
A practice where people leave a building to be safe during a fire or other emergency
- Specialized
Intense gunfire aimed near an enemy to keep them from shooting back while friendly troops move
- Formal
A set of rules made by authorities about buildings to prevent fires and keep people safe
- Informal
A very difficult test that shows if someone can do a job under pressure
- Specialized
A slow burn in the layer of dead leaves and wood under the soil, often without visible flames
- Specialized
Gunfire from the ground aimed at enemy planes to stop an air attack
- Specialized
Shooting at a target you cannot see using calculations or people who watch
- US
A large fast fire that burns across dry grassland and spreads quickly in strong wind
- Specialized
Continuous gunfire aimed at an enemy to stop them firing or moving so friendly troops can advance
- Specialized
A system that uses radio waves to aim and fire weapons at military targets
- Specialized
Gunfire by other soldiers or tanks that protects attacking soldiers from the enemy
- Specialized
A fast forest fire that moves through the tops of trees, often moving ahead of the fire on the ground
- Specialized
Gunfire that goes along the length of a line of soldiers, causing heavy damage
- Specialized
A serious disease caused by bacteria that makes apple and pear shoots and flowers turn black and die
- Specialized
A system that finds and aims weapons at military targets on ships or tanks
- Specialized
A blue glow that appears on pointed objects like ship masts or airplane wings during thunderstorms
- Specialized
Gunfire aimed near friendly troops to protect them from immediate enemy threats
- Specialized
Fire from guns aimed at enemy mortar positions to destroy or stop them
- Specialized
A planned heavy attack with artillery to weaken enemy forces before an assault
- Specialized
Fire from heavy guns at enemy targets far behind friendly troops to disrupt supplies and reinforcements
How Burned
Surface Forms
Etymology
Fire meaning 'to burn or destroy by burning' comes from the same root fyr meaning 'flame', so to 'fire' a building means to set it on fire and burn it. The modern use keeps the basic idea of flames doing damage.