under fire

Examples

• All

• And now Colorado's Lauren Boebert is under fire for a little stand up routine that she's been doing about Ilhan Omar.

• The Saudi program, previously praised by policymakers, has recently come under fire.

  Academic text (2010)

• Only once, at the end of the war, did he find himself under fire.

  Fiction book (1996)

• The organization, which has also come under fire for its support of controversial issues,

  Blog text (17)

• The president is bound to come under fire for cutbacks his administration has made to the education budget.

  The Contract (2006)

• Many teachers are overworked, constantly under fire, and unappreciated.

  Academic text (1993)

• Australian airline Qantas has also come under fire for a similar policy prohibiting men.

  Blog text (7)

• Tara Polataiko's piece Sleeping Beauty recently came under fire in Ukraine for its advocacy of gay rights.

  Blog text (31)

• As concerns over racial-climate issues roil campuses nationwide, other institutions have come under fire for issuing campus alerts with insufficient information.

  Academic text (2016)

• The police organization that posted the video is under fire for promoting racism.

Synonyms

U

under attack

vsunder fire

105 3.5

Being hurt physically or strongly criticized by others

means the same idea but as a familiar idiom

S

to scorch

vsunder fire

15 7.3

To severely criticize someone or something

refers to being the target of attack or strong criticism

L

line of fire

vsunder fire

11 5.3

A situation where someone risks being harmed or strongly criticized

focuses specifically on public attack or strong criticism

I

in the crosshairs

vsunder fire

• Informal

8 8.2

People are looking closely at and criticizing a person or thing

applies more broadly to being attacked or criticized publicly

D

to draw fire

vsunder fire

4 6.7

To attract criticism and angry reactions for what you say or do

describes being the target rather than causing the attention

P

to put on blast

vsunder fire

• Offensive

3 9.5

Say bad things about someone in public to show others what they did

covers general public attack without stressing social shaming

I

in the firing line

vsunder fire

• Informal

1 7.6

In a position where people may blame or criticize you

refers more generally to being attacked or criticized publicly

T

to take a lot of flak

vsunder fire

1 7.4

Get a lot of criticism or blame from other people

means the same state but framed as being attacked publicly

L

to lambaste

vsunder fire

1 8.0

To criticize someone or something very strongly in public

describes the state of being attacked rather than doing the attacking

F

to face backlash

vsunder fire

• Literature

1 6.1

To receive strong public criticism for something you do or say

describes being attacked or criticized without implying a public reaction cause

F

firing line

vsunder fire

• Informal

1 5.7

A position where a person faces strong criticism

is the broader idiom for being attacked or criticised publicly

F

to face vitriol

vsunder fire

9.5

To get very harsh public criticism

is the more neutral phrase for being strongly criticized

F

to face brickbats

vsunder fire

8.9

To receive harsh criticism in public

expresses the same受ing but as a general state of attack

Antonyms

S

safe

∞ 1.0

Not likely to be harmed or in danger

U

uncriticized

6.1

Not having any negative comments from people

How Criticized

to pillorize

• US

9.9

under fire

• Literature

58 5.0

attack

548 3.2

criticism

512 3.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology