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Glite Dictionary
supporting fire

supporting fire

1 7.0
Gunfire by other soldiers or tanks that protects attacking soldiers from the enemy
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : fuego de apoyo
  • The commander ordered the tanks to deliver supporting fire to cover the infantry advancing toward the enemy's position.

Examples

  • Hold your own here, supporting fire on that position.

  • And we're going to have a lot of supporting fire from the Scythians.

  • Col. MacLean pushed his units until late in the day, so they did not have time to dig in or organize supporting fire.

    Academic text (1995)

  • During the attack, the air support provided supporting fire that allowed our troops to move safely.

  • The soldiers relied on supporting fire from their squad to suppress enemy fire while they crossed the open field.

Synonyms

covering fire
vssupporting fire
  • Specialized
3 7.7

Intense gunfire aimed near an enemy to keep them from shooting back while friendly troops move

is provided by other units to protect and assist friendly units during combat
suppressive fire
vssupporting fire
  • Specialized
1 7.8

Continuous gunfire aimed at an enemy to stop them firing or moving so friendly troops can advance

is provided by other units mainly to protect and assist friendly forces

How Far

bombardment
47 7.0
deep supporting fire
  • Specialized
8.8
supporting fire
  • Specialized
1 7.0
direct fire
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Surface Forms

supporting fire singular
supporting fires plural

Morphology

supporting + fire

The phrase 'supporting fire' is a direct adjectival combination: 'supporting' (providing assistance) + 'fire' (gunfire), yielding the clear meaning 'gunfire that assists or protects another unit'. This compositional pattern is common in English and other languages and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Supporting fire comes from a battlefield picture: one unit gives the supporting shots, the fire, to keep the enemy down while another unit moves. So, it means 'gunfire given to protect or help another unit'.