to open fire
115
4.1
- phrasal verb
- /ˈoʊpən faɪər/
- NSFW
:
abrir fuego contra
- The soldiers were given orders to open fire on the enemy positions.
- open fire on demonstrators
- police opened fire
- soldiers opened fire
And so they started driving by the hospital and just opening fire on the hospital.
- And so they started driving by the hospital and just opening fire on the hospital.
- British troops opened fire on a a crowd, a crowd of unarmed Indians.
- And he opens fire on the House driving by.
- But went to a tie up in the hotel and shot down into the crowd that were at a country and western music festival and just opened fire.
- Those the two things are not to be confused at all, but the time when the British opened fire.
Examples
-
Come out right now, or we will open fire!
-
This door slides back, and the gang members open fire.
-
And so they started driving by the hospital and just opening fire on the hospital.
-
Stop, or we will open fire!
-
If you do not stop, we will open fire.
-
Stand away, or we will open fire.
-
Stop immediately, or we will be forced to open fire!
-
Put your hands over your head, or we'll open fire.
-
Stop the engines now before we open fire.
-
Two more cops pull their guns and open fire in absolute panic.
Fiction book (1992)
Synonyms
∞
1.8
Fire a gun at a person or animal to try to kill
∞
1.0
To shoot a gun at a target
73
1.9
To fire a gun or hit something with a bullet
67
3.2
To shoot someone or something with a weapon that fires bullets
16
5.8
Fire a gun or other weapon
10
7.4
Shoot many bullets very quickly at someone or something
1
7.7
To shoot a gun again and again quickly
1
6.3
To fire many shots quickly or say many words quickly
To shoot something from a gun or bow
Antonyms
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to begin shooting' is directly and compositionally derived from 'open' (to start) + 'fire' (the firing of guns), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the verb sense. The extended sense 'to attack aggressively with criticism' is a predictable metaphorical extension of 'fire' as taking shots, which remains transparent for learners familiar with the literal sense.
Etymology
Open fire may come from old soldiers and sailors who had to lift covers or doors over cannons before shooting; they had to open the covers before the guns could fire, so the act of opening meant the shooting was about to start. So open fire means 'to begin shooting'.