💥 To fail to fire 💥 Failed explosion ❌ A failed attempt ❌ To fail

misfire

1 6.8

A gun or engine that fails to fire when it should

noun
/ˈmɪsˌfaɪər/

Specialized

: fallo de disparo (armas)

During the test, there was a noticeable misfire that caused the engine to run unevenly.
cause a misfire

Examples

We've got four misfires and the sync was off.

Don't Look Up (2021)
We got four misfires and sync was off.

Don't Look Up (2021)
The hammer falls, but it is a misfire, and what happens next happens in maybe five seconds as all hell breaks loose.

Fiction book (1993)
I scanned the codes and I get a misfire on 3 with the PO031 code.

Blog text (23)
It was a misfired rocket from Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, that fell in a parking lot next to a hospital.
All my misfires when using factory ammo were "intentional." Dummy cartridges were randomly introduced for immediate action training.

Blog text (11)
The mechanic found a misfire in the engine while diagnosing the problem with the vehicle.
A misfire can lead to poor performance and increased emissions from the vehicle.

Synonyms

dud

vsmisfire

1 7.2

Does not explode when it should

covers explosion failure in guns or engines rather than only devices

flame-out

vsmisfire

Specialized

1 8.3

A jet engine suddenly stops burning fuel and loses power

describes a failed explosion rather than a combustion shutdown causing power loss

How Effective

success

∞ 1.0

misfire

Specialized

1 6.8

dud

1 7.2

Surface Forms

misfire singular

misfires plural

Morphology

misfire = fire (transparent) = mis + fire

The word is built by productive prefixation mis- + fire meaning a failure to discharge; this literal sense is directly inferable.

Etymology

Misfire comes from the prefix mis- meaning 'wrong' and fire meaning 'to shoot or make explode'. It originally named a gun or engine that failed to explode or fire, which is why a misfire still means a failed explosion or shot.