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This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
noun
a state, process, or instance of combustion in which fuel or other material is ignited and combined with oxygen, giving off light, heat, and flame.
a burning mass of material, as on a hearth or in a furnace.
the destructive burning of a building, town, forest, etc.; conflagration.
heat used for cooking, especially the lighted burner of a stove: Put the kettle on the fire.
flashing light; luminous appearance.
brilliance, as of a gem.
burning passion; excitement or enthusiasm; ardor.
liveliness of imagination.
fever or inflammation.
severe trial or trouble; ordeal.
exposure to fire as a means of torture or ordeal.
strength, as of an alcoholic beverage.
a spark or sparks.
the discharge of firearms: enemy fire.
the effect of firing military weapons: to pour fire upon the enemy.
British. a gas or electric heater used for heating a room.
Literary. a luminous object, as a star: heavenly fires.
verb (used with object), fired, fir·ing.
to set on fire.
to supply with fuel or attend to the fire of (often followed by up):They fired the boiler.
to expose to the action of fire; subject to heat.
to apply heat to in a kiln for baking or glazing; burn.
to heat very slowly for the purpose of drying, as tea.
to inflame, as with passion; fill with ardor (often followed by up).
to inspire.
to light or cause to glow as if on fire.
to discharge (a gun).
to project (a bullet or the like) by or as if by discharging from a gun.
to subject to explosion or explosive force, as a mine.
to cause (a device, machine, etc.) to start working (usually followed by up): I just fired up my new laptop.
to hurl; throw: to fire a stone through a window.
to dismiss from a job.
Veterinary Medicine. to apply a heated iron to (the skin) in order to create a local inflammation of the superficial structures, with the intention of favorably affecting deeper inflammatory processes.
to drive out or away by or as by fire.
verb (used without object), fired, fir·ing.
to take fire; be kindled.
to glow as if on fire.
to become inflamed with passion; become excited.
to shoot, as a gun.
to discharge a gun: to fire at a fleeing enemy.
to hurl a projectile.
Music. to ring the bells of a chime all at once.
(of plant leaves) to turn yellow or brown before the plant matures.
(of an internal-combustion engine) to cause ignition of the air-fuel mixture in a cylinder or cylinders.
(of a nerve cell) to discharge an electric impulse.
adjective
Slang. cool, excellent, exciting, etc.: It would be so fire if we won those tickets!
Verb Phrases
fire away, Informal. to begin to talk and continue without slackening, as to ask a series of questions: The reporters fired away at the president.
fire off,
- to discharge (as weapons, ammunition, etc.): Police fired off canisters of tear gas.
- to write and send hurriedly: She fired off an angry letter to her congressman.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Which sentence is correct?
Idioms about fire
between two fires, under physical or verbal attack from two or more sides simultaneously: The senator is between two fires because of his stand on the bill.
build a fire under, Informal. to cause or urge to take action, make a decision quickly, or work faster: If somebody doesn’t build a fire under that committee, it will never reach a decision.
- to be delayed in exploding, or fail to explode.
- to be undecided, postponed, or delayed: The new housing project is hanging fire because of concerted opposition.
- to fail to explode or discharge, as a firearm.
- to fail to produce the desired effect; be unsuccessful: He repeated the joke, but it missed fire the second time.
- ignited; burning; afire.
- eager; ardent; zealous: They were on fire to prove themselves in competition.
- to cause to burn; ignite.
- to excite; arouse; inflame: The painting set fire to the composer’s imagination.
- to become ignited; burn.
- to become inspired with enthusiasm or zeal: Everyone who heard him speak immediately took fire.
- under attack, especially by military forces.
- under censure or criticism: The school administration is under fire for its policies.
catch fire, to create enthusiasm: His new book did not catch fire among his followers.
catch (on) fire, to become ignited; burn: The sofa caught fire from a lighted cigarette.The movie set nearly caught on fire when a fire-related special effect went out of control.
fight fire with fire, to use the same tactics as one’s opponent; return like for like.
go through fire and water, to brave any danger or endure any trial: He said he would go through fire and water to win her hand.
hang fire,
miss fire,
on fire,
play with fire, to trifle with a serious or dangerous matter: He didn’t realize that insulting the border guards was playing with fire.
set fire to,
Also set on fire.
take fire,
under fire,
Origin of fire
First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English fȳr; cognate with Old Norse fūrr, German Feuer, Greek pŷr (see pyro-); (verb) Middle English firen “to kindle, inflame,” derivative of the noun; see igneous
OTHER WORDS FROM fire
firer, nouncoun·ter·fire, noun, verb (used without object), coun·ter·fired, coun·ter·fir·ing.re·fire, verb, re·fired, re·fir·ing.un·fired, adjective
Words nearby fire
fiqh, fir, Firbank, Firbolg, Firdausi, fire, fire alarm, fire-and-brimstone, fire ant, fire apparatus, fire appliance
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
MORE ABOUT FIRE
What is fire?
Fire is what happens when a material is ignited and combined with oxygen, resulting in combustion. This results in light, heat, and a visible effect that usually appears as orange or yellow flames.
Fire typically requires three ingredients: heat, fuel (something to burn), and oxygen.
Fire is hard to describe since it’s different from the solid, liquid, and gaseous states of matter we’re used to observing (fire is usually a mixture of hot gases, but sometimes it’s a plasma, depending on what’s burning). But you know it when you see it: if you’ve ever lit a match or candle or burned wood in a fireplace, you’ve created fire.
We describe an instance of fire as a fire, as in a fire in the fireplace or a house fire.
If something is burning or consumed by fire, we say it is on fire, as in The stove is on fire.
Fire can also be used metaphorically, such as to refer to intensity or extreme passion, as in The fire in my heart. It’s also commonly used in many idioms and expressions (such as fight fire with fire and playing with fire), and, more recently, as a slang term meaning awesome (as in Those shoes are fire).
As a verb, fire commonly means to discharge a gun or to dismiss someone from a job.
Fire has many other, more specific meanings as both a noun and a verb, and most of them are related in some way to literal fire.
Example: The boss fired Dave after he fired a starter pistol inside the office, causing the ceiling to catch on fire.
Where does fire come from?
The first records of the word fire come from before 900. As a noun, it comes from the Old English fȳr. Fire is related to the Old Norse fūrr and German Feuer, which come from the Greek pŷr (the origin of the word part pyro-, as in pyrotechnics, and the word pyre, as in funeral pyre). As a verb, fire comes from the Middle English firen, which was derived from the noun and means “to kindle or inflame.”
Fire has fascinated humans for as long as we have known about it. At one time, fire was thought to be one of the four substances (the others being earth, air, and water) that made up everything in the universe. It has been used for cooking, warmth, and other practical uses for at least hundreds of thousands of years.
We often specify types of fires by what is on fire, such as house fire and forest fire, or what has caused or is fueling the fire, as in grease fire. Things that involve preventing or putting out fires or fire safety typically have the word in their name, such as in firefighter, fire department, fire truck, fire extinguisher, fire escape, and fire drill.
Did you know … ?
How is fire used in real life?
The word fire is very commonly used, particularly in its literal sense.
At the site of the North Complex Fire today, Governor @GavinNewsom signed @AsmReyes47’s #AB2147 eliminating barriers that prevent former inmate fire crews from pursuing a career as a firefighter once they served their time. #CaliforniaForAll pic.twitter.com/tT3D18UJWK
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) September 11, 2020
I have been affected by fires in the Central Coast. Ash still rains down on us. Friends & family across CA are affected. My family & friends in OR are affected; some homes are still at risk. Friends & family in WA are affected. The fires are everywhere.
— heather lyons (@_heatherlyons) September 11, 2020
Perhaps she is telling you people to clean up dead trees and brush to remove fuel so fires don’t get so bad.
— JIM KOONTZ (@JIMKOONTZ4) September 11, 2020
Try using fire!
Which of the following things is NOT one of the three ingredients typically required for a fire?
A. heat
B. oxygen
C. water vapor
D. fuel
Words related to fire
blaze, bonfire, heat, inferno, attack, bombardment, bombing, explosion, shelling, force, light, discharge, explode, hurl, launch, shoot, drop, expel, oust, sack
How to use fire in a sentence
-
The Honeywell Safe line makes a variety of fire and waterproof lockable storage cabinets, each one made to stand extreme conditions.
-
The tragic 2018 mudslide in Montecito, California is just one example of a post-fire flood.
-
The strong winds and low humidity will continue to feed the fires, particularly in the northeast part of the blaze.
-
In an overnight filing, Apple said “Epic started a fire, and poured gasoline on it, and now asks this court for emergency assistance in putting it out.”
-
Make a fireThough it’s engineered to reduce exterior friction, paracord can still make a suitable bow string for the bow and drill fire-starting method.
-
But what is there more irresponsible than playing with the fire of an imagined civil war in the France of today?
-
The cameraman was reporting on the factory catching fire when the inevitable happened.
-
Lady Edith is so sad that her sadness nearly set the whole damned house on fire.
-
Maybe Mary is being more realistic about a second marriage—but is it too much to ask for a little fire?
-
A fire that he insists is only picking up pace, according to top-secret intelligence briefings.
-
«A camp-fire would hardly flash and die out like that, Sarge,» he answered thoughtfully.
-
She got up and stood in front of the fire, having her hand on the chimney-piece and looking down at the blaze.
-
The fire had been heaped over with earth—to screen it from prying eyes, I suppose, while the good work went on.
-
But, as the keel of the boats touched bottom, each boat-load dashed into the water and then into the enemy’s fire.
-
The men, whose poniards his sword parried, had recourse to fire-arms, and two pistols were fired at him.
British Dictionary definitions for fire
noun
the state of combustion in which inflammable material burns, producing heat, flames, and often smoke
- a mass of burning coal, wood, etc, used esp in a hearth to heat a room
- (in combination)firewood; firelighter
a destructive conflagration, as of a forest, building, etc
a device for heating a room, etc
something resembling a fire in light or brilliancea diamond’s fire
a flash or spark of or as if of fire
- the act of discharging weapons, artillery, etc
- the shells, etc, fired
a burst or rapid volleya fire of questions
intense passion; ardour
liveliness, as of imagination, thought, etc
a burning sensation sometimes produced by drinking strong alcoholic liquor
fever and inflammation
a severe trial or torment (esp in the phrase go through fire and water)
catch fire to ignite
draw someone’s fire to attract the criticism or censure of someone
hang fire
- to delay firing
- to delay or be delayed
no smoke without fire the evidence strongly suggests something has indeed happened
on fire
- in a state of ignition
- ardent or eager
- informal playing or performing at the height of one’s abilities
open fire to start firing a gun, artillery, etc
play with fire to be involved in something risky
set fire to or set on fire British
- to ignite
- to arouse or excite
set the world on fire, British set the Thames on fire or Scot set the heather on fire informal to cause a great sensation
under fire being attacked, as by weapons or by harsh criticism
verb
to discharge (a firearm or projectile) or (of a firearm, etc) to be discharged
to detonate (an explosive charge or device) or (of such a charge or device) to be detonated
(tr) informal to dismiss from employment
(tr) ceramics to bake in a kiln to harden the clay, fix the glaze, etc
to kindle or be kindled; ignite
(tr) to provide with fueloil fires the heating system
(intr) to tend a fire
(tr) to subject to heat
(tr) to heat slowly so as to dry
(tr) to arouse to strong emotion
to glow or cause to glow
(intr) (of an internal-combustion engine) to ignite
(intr) (of grain) to become blotchy or yellow before maturity
vet science another word for cauterize
(intr) Australian informal (of a sportsman, etc) to play well or with enthusiasm
sentence substitute
a cry to warn others of a fire
the order to begin firing a gun, artillery, etc
Derived forms of fire
fireable, adjectivefireless, adjectivefirer, noun
Word Origin for fire
Old English fӯr; related to Old Saxon fiur, Old Norse fūrr, Old High German fūir, Greek pur
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with fire
In addition to the idioms beginning with fire
- fire away
- fire off
- fire on all cylinders
- fire up
also see:
- add fuel to the fire
- ball of fire
- baptism of fire
- catch fire
- caught in the cross-fire
- draw fire
- fat is in the fire
- fight fire with fire
- get on (like a house afire)
- hang fire
- hold one’s fire
- hold someone’s feet to the fire
- irons in the fire
- light a fire under
- line of fire
- miss fire
- no smoke without fire
- on fire
- open fire
- out of the frying pan into the fire
- play with fire
- set on fire
- set the world on fire
- spread like wildfire
- trial by fire
- under fire
- where’s the fire
Also see underfiring.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Britannica Dictionary definition of FIRE
1
[noncount]
:
the light and heat and especially the flame produced by burning
-
Stay away from the fire.
2
:
an occurrence in which something burns
:
the destruction of something (such as a building or a forest) by fire
[count]
-
The shack was destroyed by a fire.
-
Two people died in that terrible fire.
-
How did the fire start?
-
Police think he set a fire [=deliberately started a fire] in the bedroom.
-
Firefighters put the fire out. = Firefighters put out the fire. [=firefighters stopped the fire from burning]
[noncount]
-
The shack caught (on) fire [=began to burn] when it was struck by lightning.
-
Someone set fire to the shack. [=deliberately caused the shack to burn]
3
[count]
:
a controlled occurrence of fire created by burning something (such as wood or gas) in a special area (such as in a fireplace or stove)
-
We warmed our hands over the fire.
-
She built a fire in the fireplace.
-
The fire went out and he had to light it again.
—
see also campfire
4
[noncount]
:
the shooting of weapons
-
We heard heavy rifle fire in the distance.
-
He shot at the police officer and the police officer returned his fire. [=the police officer shot back at him]
-
He and the police officer exchanged fire. [=shot at each other]
-
He was caught in the line of fire and killed.
-
The troops opened fire on [=began shooting at] the enemy.
-
Hold your fire! [=don’t shoot]
-
Cease fire! [=stop shooting]
-
Several soldiers were killed by friendly fire. [=they were accidentally killed by weapons fired from their own side]
5
[noncount]
:
very heavy or harsh criticism
-
The company has drawn/taken (heavy) fire for its use of child labor overseas.
6
[noncount]
:
strong emotion, anger, enthusiasm, etc.
-
I admire her fire for teaching and helping children.
-
young lovers with their hearts full of fire [=passion]
7
[count]
British
:
a small device that uses gas or electricity to heat a room
-
Turn on/off the fire.
fan a fire, fan the fire
—
see 2fan
fight fire with fire
—
see 1fight
from/out of the frying pan (and) into the fire
—
see frying pan
irons in the fire
—
see 1iron
light a fire under
—
see 3light
like a house on fire
—
see 1house
on fire
1
:
in the process of burning
-
The house was on fire.
2
:
feeling very strong enthusiasm, love, etc.
-
He was on fire with enthusiasm.
-
young lovers with their hearts on fire
3
:
very successful
-
The team has been on fire, winning 10 of its last 11 games.
—
see also set the world on fire at 1world
play with fire
—
see 1play
under fire
1
:
being shot at by the enemy
-
The civilians panicked when they realized they were under fire.
-
As a soldier he showed extraordinary skill and courage under fire.
2
:
exposed to criticism
:
being criticized
-
He is under fire from his political opponents.
-
The company has come under fire [=has been criticized] for using child labor overseas.
where there’s smoke, there’s fire
or
there’s no smoke without fire
—
see 1smoke
Britannica Dictionary definition of FIRE
1
a
:
to shoot a weapon
[+ object]
-
fire a bullet
-
She fired the arrow at the target.
-
He fired the gun.
-
He fired several shots at the police.
[no object]
-
He fired at the police.
-
The gun failed to fire.
-
The soldiers fired on/at the enemy.
-
The officers were told to fire at will. [=to shoot when they felt that they should]
— often used figuratively
-
Reporters fired questions at her. [=they asked her many questions in a quick and forceful way]
b
[+ object]
:
to throw (something) with speed and force
-
The shortstop fired the ball to first base.
-
The angry mob fired rocks at him.
-
The boxer fired a left jab at his opponent’s chin.
2
[+ object]
:
to give life or energy to (something or someone)
-
The story fired his imagination.
3
[+ object]
:
to dismiss (someone) from a job
-
She had to fire several workers.
— usually used as (be/get) fired
-
He got/was fired (from his job) after missing work.
4
[no object]
:
to begin working
-
The engine/cylinders failed to fire.
— sometimes used figuratively
-
The team got off to a slow start, but now it’s firing on all cylinders. [=it’s now playing very well]
5
[+ object]
technical
:
to heat (a clay pot, dish, etc.) in an oven in order to make it very hard
-
She will fire the pots later today.
— used in speech to tell someone to begin asking you questions
-
“We have some questions we’d like to ask you.” “OK. Fire away.”
:
to answer someone quickly and usually angrily
-
After his statement, his opponent fired back.
— often + at
-
He fired back at his critics.
fire (something) off
or
fire off (something)
:
to write and send (something, such as a letter or memo) in a quick and often angry way
-
He fired off a letter of complaint.
-
She fired an e-mail off to her lawyer.
1
fire (something) up
or
fire up (something)
a
:
to start (something) by lighting a fire
-
We fired up the grill for the barbecue.
b
:
to cause (something) to start working
-
I fired up my computer and got down to work.
-
Before we start working let’s fire up the coffeemaker.
2
fire (someone) up
or
fire up (someone)
:
to fill (someone) with energy or enthusiasm
-
The coach fired up the players with a pep talk.
— usually used as (be/get) fired up
-
We were fired up for the concert.
— firing
noun,
plural
firings
[count, noncount]
-
the hiring and firing of employees
-
The pot must cool before its second firing.
Noun
Stay away from the fire.
The shack was destroyed by a fire.
Two people died in that terrible fire.
How did the fire start?
We warmed our hands over the fire.
She built a fire in the fireplace.
The fire went out and he had to light it again.
Verb
She fired the arrow at the target.
He fired several shots at the police.
He fired at the police.
The gun failed to fire.
The soldiers fired on the enemy.
The shortstop fired the ball to first base.
The angry mob fired rocks at him.
The boxer fired a left jab at his opponent’s chin.
The story fired his imagination.
She had to fire several workers.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
After pounding on the dashboard, raising the hood, and hurling invective at the hapless Jeep, Arutunoff headed for a telephone to call Aberlich and threaten to set his Jeep on fire.
—
William Jeanes, Car and Driver, 9 Apr. 2023
Yildiz subjects Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, and Coach accessories to a litany of abuse, slicing them open with an X-Acto knife, rubbing acetone on their surfaces, and lighting shreds on fire to determine the quality of the rawhide, finish, and tanning process.
—Isabel Slone, Harper’s BAZAAR, 7 Apr. 2023
In Nancy, the door to a local French central bank office was set on fire.
—Aurelien Breeden, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2023
The red awning of La Rotonde bistro, where Macron celebrated his 2017 election win, caught fire after a smoke bomb hit it as protesters threw projectiles at police, French newspaper Le Monde reported.
—Claire Parker, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2023
In February, a woman set a Manhattan restaurant’s rainbow pride flag on fire, in what police are also investigating as a possible anti-LGBTQ hate crime.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 6 Apr. 2023
When interrogated, Baskin confirmed what was seen in the footage and said that the third suspect is the one who set the container on fire, according to a police report.
—The Arizona Republic, 6 Apr. 2023
Won’t set the world on fire with an incendiary quote.
—Jason Gay, wsj.com, 6 Apr. 2023
The driver crashed and the car caught fire.
—Kendall Hyde, The Enquirer, 5 Apr. 2023
The Israeli military said troops fired at Palestinians hurling stones and explosive devices.
—Josef Federman, ajc, 9 Apr. 2023
The Israeli military said troops fired at Palestinians hurling stones and explosive devices.
—Josef Federman, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Apr. 2023
The suspect, who was armed, later walked out of the home and started firing at responding officers, the chief said.
—Victoria Arancio, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2023
At the pace Ukraine is firing, those stocks could soon run out, too, as Western countries struggle to ramp up production.
—Kamila Hrabchuk, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2023
The police association fired her after completing an initial internal investigation, union officials said in a statement.
—CBS News, 8 Apr. 2023
Suddenly, four vehicles filled with armed men began chasing and firing at them.
—Galia García Palafox Alejandro Cegarra, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2023
One or more officers fired at least one round, killing Dotson, state police said.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 7 Apr. 2023
The early morning Israeli strikes followed an unusually large rocket barrage fired at Israel from southern Lebanon — what analysts described as the most serious cross-border violence since Israel’s 2006 war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants.
—Isabel Debre, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘fire.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
-
Defenition of the word fire
- The state of combustion in which inflammable material burns, producing heat, flames and often smoke.
- An unwanted and uncontrolled burning of matter.
- Intense adverse criticism.
- To terminate the employment of one or more employees.
- Uncontrolled burning, conflagration.
- feelings of great warmth and intensity; «he spoke with great ardor»
- call forth; of emotions, feelings, and responses; «arouse pity»; «raise a smile»; «evoke sympathy»
- destroy by fire; «They burned the house and his diaries»
- a fireplace in which a fire is burning; «they sat by the fire and talked»
- the event of something burning (often destructive); «they lost everything in the fire»
- a severe trial; «he went through fire and damnation»
- (archaic) once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe
- Bake in a kiln; «fire pottery»
- drive out or away by or as if by fire; «The soldiers were fired»; «Surrender fires the cold skepticism»
- intense adverse criticism; «Clinton directed his fire at Jesse Helms»
- cause to go off; «fire a gun»; «fire a bullet»
- go off or discharge; «The gun fired»
- the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy; «hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes»; «they retreated in the face of withering enemy fire»
- the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke; «fire was one of our ancestors’ first discoveries»
- terminate the employment of; «The boss fired his secretary today»
- provide with fuel; «Oil fires the furnace»
- start firing a weapon
- intense adverse criticism; «Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party»; «the government has come under attack»; «don»t give me any flak»
- the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke; «fire was one of our ancestors» first discoveries»
- once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)
- bake in a kiln so as to harden; «fire pottery»
- call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses); «arouse pity»; «raise a smile»; «evoke sympathy»
- terminate the employment of; «The boss fired his secretary today»; «The company terminated 25% of its workers»
- the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
- a fireplace in which a relatively small fire is burning
- intense adverse criticism
- the event of something burning (often destructive)
- a severe trial
- feelings of great warmth and intensity
- the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
- fuel that is burning and is used as a means for cooking
- bake in a kiln so as to harden
- destroy by fire
- cause to go off
- go off or discharge
- call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
- drive out or away by or as if by fire
- provide with fuel
- terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
Synonyms for the word fire
-
- animate
- ardor
- ardour
- arouse
- attack
- blast
- blaze
- bonfire
- burn
- burn down
- can
- combustion
- conflagration
- detonate
- discharge
- dismiss
- elicit
- enkindle
- enliven
- enthuse
- enthusiasm
- evoke
- excite
- excitement
- fervency
- fervidness
- fervor
- fervour
- firing
- flak
- flame
- flames
- flaming
- force out
- fuel
- give notice
- give somebody the pink slip
- give somebody their cards
- give the axe
- go off
- inferno
- inspire
- kindle
- launch
- lay off
- let off
- open fire
- passion
- provoke
- raise
- sack
- send away
- shoot
- terminate
- throw out
- trigger
- vigor
Similar words in the fire
-
- fire
- fire’s
- firearm
- firearm’s
- firearms
- fireball
- fireball’s
- fireballs
- firebomb
- firebomb’s
- firebombed
- firebombing
- firebombs
- firebrand
- firebrand’s
- firebrands
- firebreak
- firebreak’s
- firebreaks
- firebug
- firebug’s
- firebugs
- firecracker
- firecracker’s
- firecrackers
- firefight
- firefighter
- firefighters
- firefighting
- firefights
- fireflies
- firefly
- firefly’s
- firehouse
- firehouse’s
- firehouses
- fireman
- fireman’s
- firemen
- fireplace
- fireplace’s
- fireplaces
- fireplug
- fireplug’s
- fireplugs
- firepower
- firepower’s
- fireproof
- fireproofed
- fireproofing
- fireproofs
- fireside
- fireside’s
- firesides
- firestone
- firestone’s
- firestorm
- firestorm’s
- firestorms
- firetrap
- firetrap’s
- firetraps
- firewater
- firewater’s
- firewood
- firewood’s
- firework’s
Hyponyms for the word fire
-
- anger
- antiaircraft fire
- artillery fire
- ask for
- backfire
- balefire
- barrage
- barrage fire
- battery
- blast
- blaze
- blazing
- bombardment
- bonfire
- broadside
- bruise
- brush fire
- burst
- call fire
- campfire
- cannon fire
- clean out
- concentrated fire
- conflagration
- cookfire
- counterfire
- counterpreparation fire
- cover
- covering fire
- cremate
- crossfire
- destruction fire
- direct fire
- discomfit
- discompose
- disconcert
- dismiss
- distributed fire
- draw
- drop
- excite
- fire up
- flare
- forest fire
- fratricide
- friendly fire
- furlough
- fusillade
- grassfire
- grazing fire
- harassing fire
- heat
- hostile fire
- hurt
- ignite
- ignition
- indirect fire
- infatuate
- inferno
- inflame
- injure
- interdiction fire
- interest
- invite
- lay off
- let drive
- let fly
- loose off
- massed fire
- neutralization fire
- observed fire
- offend
- overcome
- overpower
- overtake
- overwhelm
- pension off
- pop
- prairie fire
- preparation fire
- prick
- radar fire
- registration fire
- rekindle
- retire
- salvo
- scheduled fire
- scorch
- searching fire
- send away
- send packing
- shake
- shake up
- shame
- shelling
- shoot
- smolder
- smoulder
- smudge
- spite
- squeeze out
- stimulate
- stir
- stir up
- strike a chord
- supporting fire
- suppressive fire
- sweep over
- torch
- touch a chord
- unobserved fire
- untune
- upset
- volley
- wake
- whelm
- wound
- zeal
Hypernyms for the word fire
-
- attack
- bake
- blast
- burning
- chase away
- combustion
- create
- criticism
- destroy
- dispel
- drive away
- drive off
- drive out
- element
- fireplace
- fuel
- furnish
- happening
- hearth
- make
- natural event
- occurrence
- occurrent
- onrush
- onset
- onslaught
- open fireplace
- passion
- passionateness
- provide
- remove
- render
- ruin
- run off
- shoot
- supply
- trial
- tribulation
- turn back
- unfavorable judgment
- visitation
Antonyms for the word fire
-
- employ
- engage
- hire
Idioms for the word fire
-
- play with fire
See other words
-
- What is kaste
- The definition of fredag
- The interpretation of the word hus
- What is meant by bok
- The lexical meaning hest
- The dictionary meaning of the word katt
- The grammatical meaning of the word stol
- Meaning of the word hund
- Literal and figurative meaning of the word mars
- The origin of the word tusen
- Synonym for the word polska
- Antonyms for the word ruhig
- Homonyms for the word rettungsring
- Hyponyms for the word leck mich am abc
- Holonyms for the word arschgesicht
- Hypernyms for the word make ends meet
- Proverbs and sayings for the word harte schale, weicher kern
- Translation of the word in other languages achtontli
English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfaɪ.ə/, [faɪ̯ə]
- (triphthong smoothing) IPA(key): [ˈfaə], [ˈfaː], [ˈfɑə], [ˈfɑəː]
- (General American) enPR: fīʹər, fīr, IPA(key): /ˈfaɪ.əɹ/, [ˈfaɪ̯ɚ]
- (Southern American English, Appalachia) IPA(key): [ˈfäːɚ]
- (Inland Northern American, Western New England, Philadelphia) IPA(key): [fʌɪ̯ɚ]
- (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈfaɪ.ə/, [ˈfɑe̯ə]
- Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
Etymology 1[edit]
From Middle English fyr, from Old English fȳr (“fire”), from Proto-West Germanic *fuir, from *fuïr, a regularised form of Proto-Germanic *fōr (“fire”) (compare Saterland Frisian Fjuur, West Frisian fjoer, Dutch vuur, Low German Füer, German Feuer, Danish fyr), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥.
Compare Hittite 𒉺𒄴𒄯 (paḫḫur), Umbrian pir, Tocharian A/B por/puwar, Czech pýř (“hot ashes”), Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr, “fire”), and Armenian հուր (hur, “fire”). This was an inanimate noun whose animate counterpart was Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥gʷnis (see ignite). Cognate to pyre and purge.
Alternative forms[edit]
- fier (archaic)
Noun[edit]
fire (countable and uncountable, plural fires)
- (uncountable) A (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon or other fuel, with the production of heat and the presence of flame or smouldering.
- (countable) An instance of this chemical reaction, especially when intentionally created and maintained in a specific location to a useful end (such as a campfire or a hearth fire).
-
We sat about the fire singing songs and telling tales.
-
1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 8, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients:
-
We toted in the wood and got the fire going nice and comfortable. Lord James still set in one of the chairs and Applegate had cabbaged the other and was hugging the stove.
-
-
- (countable) The occurrence, often accidental, of fire in a certain place, causing damage and danger.
-
There was a fire at the school last night and the whole place burned down.
-
During hot and dry summers many fires in forests are caused by regardlessly discarded cigarette butts.
-
2020 January 1, Bernard Lagan, “Thousands flee to beaches as the flames close in”, in The Times, number 73,044, page 24:
-
Efforts to fight the fires in New South Wales and Victoria were hampered as large fires converged and created their own violent weather systems. The fire created dry lightning storms so severe that planes had to be grounded.
-
-
- (uncountable, alchemy, philosophy) The aforementioned chemical reaction of burning, considered one of the Classical elements or basic elements of alchemy.
- (countable, Britain) A heater or stove used in place of a real fire (such as an electric fire).
- (countable) The elements necessary to start a fire.
-
The fire was laid and needed to be lit.
-
- (uncountable) The bullets or other projectiles fired from a gun or other ranged weapon.
-
The fire from the enemy guns kept us from attacking.
-
- (countable) A planned bombardment by artillery or similar weapons, or the capability to deliver such.
-
We dominated the battlespace with our fires.
-
- (countable, figurative) A barrage, volley
-
1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 7, page 136:
-
In the district of Erfurt a very heavy sheaf […] is called the Great Mother, and is carried on the last waggon to the barn, where all hands lift it down amid a fire of jokes.
-
-
- (astronautics) An instance of firing one or more rocket engines.
- Strength of passion, whether love or hate.
-
- He had fire in his temper.
-
- Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral enthusiasm.
- Splendour; brilliancy; lustre; hence, a star.
-
c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:
-
Stars, hide your fires.
-
-
- A severe trial; anything inflaming or provoking.
- Red coloration in a piece of opal.
Synonyms[edit]
- blaze
- conflagration
- inferno
Derived terms[edit]
- a burnt child dreads the fire
- add fuel to fire
- add fuel to the fire
- all-fire
- back fire
- balefire
- ball of fire
- baptism by fire
- baptism of fire
- bin fire
- blue fire
- bone fire
- bone-fire
- bonfire
- breathe fire
- brush fire, brush-fire, brushfire
- build a fire under
- bump fire
- bump-fire
- bush fire
- bushfire
- campfire
- catch fire
- catch on fire
- cease fire
- cease-fire
- ceasefire
- Chinese fire drill
- climate fire
- co-fire
- cold fire
- contagious fire
- covering fire
- crown fire
- death-fire
- Devil’s Broom fire
- die in a fire
- direct fire
- draw fire
- dropping fire
- drumfire
- dry fire
- dry-fire
- dumpster fire
- electric fire
- escape fire
- exchange of fire
- false fire
- fen fire
- field of fire
- fiery
- fight fire with fire
- fire air
- fire alarm
- fire alarm horn
- fire and brimstone
- fire and forget
- fire ant
- fire appliance
- fire arm
- fire arrow
- fire away
- fire ax
- fire axe
- fire balloon
- fire basket
- fire bay
- fire beater
- fire beetle
- fire bellied toad
- fire blanket
- fire blanks
- fire blast
- fire blight
- fire block
- fire boss
- fire box
- fire break
- fire breathing, fire-breathing, firebreathing
- fire brick
- fire brigade
- fire bucket
- fire button
- fire cabinet
- fire cart
- fire chicken
- fire chief
- fire cider
- fire clay
- fire code
- fire company
- fire controlman
- fire crotch
- fire cupping
- fire damper, firedamper
- fire dancer
- fire department
- fire devil, fire-devil, firedevil
- fire diamond
- fire dog
- fire dogs
- fire door
- fire drill
- fire eater
- fire eating
- fire engine
- fire engine red
- fire escape
- fire exit
- fire extinguisher
- fire fighter
- fire fighting
- fire flapper
- fire fountain
- fire gilding
- fire gilt
- fire grate
- fire grenade
- fire guard
- fire hall
- fire hazard
- fire hose
- fire house
- fire hydrant
- fire in one’s belly
- fire in the belly
- fire in the hole
- fire inspection
- fire iron
- fire lance
- fire lane
- fire load
- fire lookout tower
- fire machine
- fire main
- fire marble
- fire mark
- fire marshal
- fire mission
- fire on all cylinders
- fire opal
- fire out
- fire people
- fire philosopher
- fire pike
- fire piston
- fire pit
- fire plant
- fire point
- fire pole
- fire practice
- fire raft
- fire rainbow
- fire regime
- fire retardant
- fire ring
- fire roll
- fire salamander
- fire sale
- fire saw
- fire scar
- fire screen
- fire service
- fire ship, fireship
- fire sign
- fire spear
- fire sprinkler
- fire stairs
- fire station
- fire step
- fire stop
- fire storm
- fire striker
- fire swab
- fire swatter
- fire system
- fire teaser
- fire temple
- fire tongs
- fire tower
- fire tower stairway
- fire trench
- fire triangle
- fire truck
- fire walker
- fire watch
- fire whirl, fire-whirl, firewhirl
- fire worship
- fire-bath
- fire-bellied toad
- fire-bote
- fire-breather, firebreather
- fire-bucket
- fire-capped tit
- fire-crotch
- fire-eater
- fire-escape knot
- fire-eyed diucon
- fire-fanged
- fire-fight
- fire-fly
- fire-gilding
- fire-grate
- fire-new
- fire-plough
- fire-power
- fire-proof
- fire-raiser
- fire-resistant
- fire-retardant
- fire-sale
- fire-starter, firestarter
- fire-stick
- fire-stick farming
- fire-stop
- fire-worship
- fire-worshipper
- firearm
- fireball
- fireblast
- fireboat
- firebolt
- firebomb
- firebox
- firebrand
- firebreak
- firebrick
- firebug
- fireclay
- firecracker
- firedamp
- firefight
- firefighter
- firefly
- fireguard
- firehole
- firehouse
- fireless
- firelighter
- fireline
- fireman
- firenado
- firepink
- firepit
- fireplace
- fireplug
- fireproof
- firer
- fireshine
- fireside
- firestop
- firestorm
- firewire
- firewoman
- firewood
- firework
- firey
- forest fire
- fox fire
- fox-fire
- foxfire
- free-fire
- fresh fucked fox in a forest fire
- friendly fire
- gas fire
- get on like a house on fire
- go through fire and water
- grass fire
- grassfire
- grazing fire
- great balls of fire
- Grecian fire
- Greek fire
- green fire
- hair-on-fire
- heap coals of fire on someone’s head
- heap coals on fire
- hold fire
- hold one’s fire
- hold someone’s feet to the fire
- holy fire
- hot as fire
- Indian fire
- indirect fire
- insurance fire
- irons in the fire
- Kentish fire
- kill it with fire
- kindle-fire
- last burst of fire
- liar liar pants on fire
- light a fire under
- light one’s hair on fire
- light someone’s fire
- line of fire
- Lob Lie-by-the-fire
- Lob-lie-by-the-fire
- miss fire
- need-fire
- no smoke without fire
- oblique fire
- on fire
- open fire
- ordeal of fire
- out of the frying pan and into the fire
- pants on fire
- philosopher by fire
- philosopher of fire
- play with fire
- pour fuel on the fire
- pour gasoline on the fire
- pre-fire
- Promethean fire
- pull from the fire
- pull out of the fire
- pull someone’s bacon out of the fire
- pull someone’s chestnuts out of the fire
- pull someone’s fat out of the fire
- pull the fat out of the fire
- pull the fire alarm
- put out a fire
- put out the fire
- quick-fire
- rain fire and brimstone
- rapid fire
- rapid fire pistol
- rapid-fire
- real fire
- red fire
- red imported fire ant
- rediscover fire
- return fire
- run around with one’s hair on fire
- running fire
- Saint Anthony’s fire
- Saint Elmo’s fire
- selective fire
- set fire
- set on fire
- set one’s hair on fire
- set the heather on fire
- set the Thames on fire
- set the world on fire
- shit fire
- shit fire and save matches
- signal fire
- sit-by-the-fire
- spit fire
- spit-fire
- spot fire
- St Anthony’s fire
- St Elmo’s fire
- St. Anthony’s fire
- St. Elmo’s fire
- stand fire
- static fire
- static-fire
- sure-fire
- take fire
- test-fire
- the burnt child dreads the fire
- the burnt child fears the fire
- the fat is in the fire
- there may be snow on the mountaintop but there’s fire in the valley
- there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace
- throw gas on the fire
- throw gasoline on the fire
- tire fire
- tire-fire
- trash fire
- trial by fire
- Trumpster fire
- under fire
- upside-down fire
- walking fire
- water fire
- where’s the fire
- wildfire
- you don’t look at the mantelpiece when you poke the fire
- you don’t look at the mantelpiece when you’re poking the fire
- zombie fire
- zombie fire
- zone of fire
Descendants[edit]
- → Japanese: ファイヤー (faiyā)
- Sranan Tongo: faya
Translations[edit]
Adjective[edit]
fire (not comparable) (predicative only)
- (slang) Amazing; excellent.
-
That shit is fire, yo!
-
Alternative forms[edit]
- fye (nonstandard, Internet slang)
Translations[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
From Middle English firen, fyren, furen, from Old English fȳrian (“to make a fire”), from the noun (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian fioria (“to light a fire”), Saterland Frisian fjuurje (“to fire”), Middle Dutch vûren, vueren, vieren (“to set fire”), Dutch vuren (“to fire, shoot”), Old High German fiuren (“to ignite, set on fire”), German feuern (“to fire”).
Verb[edit]
fire (third-person singular simple present fires, present participle firing, simple past and past participle fired)
- (transitive) To set (something, often a building) on fire.
-
1897, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “At the House in Great Portland Street”, in The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC, page 186:
-
[«]Then I slipped up again with a box of matches, fired my heap of paper and rubbish, put the chairs and bedding thereby, led the gas to the affair, by means of an india-rubber tube, and waving a farewell to the room left it for the last time.» / «You fired the house!» exclaimed Kemp. / «Fired the house. It was the only way to cover my trail – and no doubt it was insured.[«]
-
-
1908, Jack London, The Iron Heel[1], New York: The Macmillan Company:
-
It was long a question of debate, whether the burning of the South Side ghetto was accidental, or whether it was done by the Mercenaries; but it is definitely settled now that the ghetto was fired by the Mercenaries under orders from their chiefs.
-
-
- (transitive) To heat as with fire, but without setting on fire, as ceramic, metal objects, etc.
-
If you fire the pottery at too high a temperature, it may crack.
-
They fire the wood to make it easier to put a point on the end.
-
- So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired-in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills, […] a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one’s dreams.
-
- (transitive) To drive away by setting a fire.
- (transitive) To terminate the employment contract of (an employee), especially for cause (such as misconduct or poor performance).
- Antonym: hire
- 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin 2011, p.226:
- The first, obvious choice was hysterical and fantastic Blanche – had there not been her timidity, her fear of being ‘fired’ […].
- (transitive, by extension) To terminate a contract with a client; to drop a client.
-
1979, Richard Collins Rea, Operating a Successful Accounting Practice: A Collection of Material from the Journal of Accountancy Practitioners Forum, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 288:
-
Don’t be hesitant to fire a client — cull out the deadwood. If a client doesn’t meet the above criteria, you are better off without him. You don’t do your best work for a client you’d rather not have.
-
-
2020, Rebecca Migdal, Museum Mercenary: A Handbook for Independent Museum Professionals, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 278:
-
Maintaining a collegial attitude even when doing the more difficult business work, like firing a client, is another part. If you are struggling through the relationship, the client might be struggling as well, so firing them may be mutually beneficial, and you should try and do it on the best of terms.
-
-
- (transitive) To shoot (a gun, rocket/missile, or analogous device).
-
We will fire our guns at the enemy.
-
The jet fired a salvo of rockets at the truck convoy.
-
He fired his radar gun at passing cars.
-
- (intransitive) To shoot a gun, cannon, or similar weapon.
- Synonyms: open fire, shoot
-
Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.
-
1989, Dolores Zen, transl., Last Chance in Manchuria[2], Hoover Institution Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 93:
-
I heard that both yesterday and today, when transports of the central government carrying our soldiers arrived at Hu-lu-tao, bandit troops on the shore fired at them.
-
- (astronautics) To operate a rocket engine to produce thrust.
-
The RCS thrusters fired several times to stabilize the tumbling spacecraft.
-
- (transitive, mining) To set off an explosive in a mine.
- (transitive, sports) To shoot; to attempt to score a goal.
- (intransitive, physiology) To cause an action potential in a cell.
-
When a neuron fires, it transmits information.
-
- (transitive) To forcibly direct (something).
-
He answered the questions the reporters fired at him.
-
- (transitive, intransitive, computer sciences, software engineering) To initiate an event (by means of an event handler).
-
The event handler should only fire after all web page content has finished loading.
-
The queue fires a job whenever the thread pool is ready to handle it.
-
- (transitive) To inflame; to irritate, as the passions.
-
to fire the soul with anger, pride, or revenge
-
- (intransitive, dated) To be irritated or inflamed with passion.
-
1864, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Uncle Silas:
-
Inexperienced girl as I was, I fired at the idea of becoming his dupe, and fancying, perhaps, that there was more in merely answering his note than it would have amounted to, I said — «That kind of thing may answer very well with button-makers, but ladies don’t like it. […]
-
-
- Love had fired my mind.
-
- To animate; to give life or spirit to.
-
to fire the genius of a young man
-
- To feed or serve the fire of.
-
to fire a boiler
-
1961 March, «»Balmore»», “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, pages 150, 151:
-
We left with the «Blue Train», dead on time. This time I fired all the way. […] The next day took me home again on No. E.16 with Henri Dutertre. I fired from Paris to Calais.
-
-
- (transitive) To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.
-
c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
-
[The sun] fires the proud tops of the eastern pines.
-
-
- (transitive, farriery) To cauterize.
- (intransitive, dated) To catch fire; to be kindled.
Conjugation[edit]
Synonyms[edit]
- (set on fire): See set on fire
- (transitive, shoot): let off, loose (archery), shoot
- (terminate the employment of): dehire, dismiss, give one’s cards, give the boot, give the elbow, give the old heave-ho, let go, make redundant, sack, terminate, throw out, unhire; See also Thesaurus:lay off.
Derived terms[edit]
- coal-fired, coalfired
- fire at will
- fire away
- fire in anger
- fire off
- fire up
- firing (adjective, noun)
- hang fire
- oil-fired
- overfire, over-fire
- overfired (adjective)
- ready, aim, fire
- ready, fire, aim
- ripple-fire
- slamfire
- stoker-fired
- underfire
- underfired (adjective)
- unfirable
- you’re fired
Translations[edit]
to heat pottery, etc.
- Afrikaans: bak
- Armenian: թրծել (hy) (tʿrcel)
- Bulgarian: пека (bg) (peka)
- Catalan: coure (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
- Czech: vypálit (cs)
- Danish: opvarme
- Dutch: bakken (nl)
- Finnish: polttaa (fi) (ceramic materials); kuumentaa (fi) (most others)
- French: cuire (fr)
- Galician: cocer (gl)
- German: brennen (de)
- Hebrew: הדליק (hidlík)
- Hindi: पकाना (hi) (pakānā)
- Hungarian: kiéget (hu) (ceramics)
- Indonesian: membakar (id)
- Irish: bácáil
- Macedonian: пече (peče)
- Maori: whakapaka
- Norwegian: brenne (no)
- Portuguese: cozinhar (pt), cozer (pt)
- Russian: обжига́ть (ru) impf (obžigátʹ), обже́чь (ru) pf (obžéčʹ)
- Slovak: vypáliť
- Slovene: žgati
- Spanish: cocer (es)
- Swahili: moto (sw)
- Swedish: bränna (sv)
- Welsh: tanio (cy)
to drive away by setting a fire
to terminate the employment of
- Afrikaans: ontslaan (af)
- Arabic: طَرَدَ (ar) (ṭarada)
- Armenian: ազատել (hy) (azatel), հեռացնել (hy) (heṙacʿnel)
- Azerbaijani: çıxarmaq (az), işdən çıxarmaq
- Belarusian: звальня́ць impf (zvalʹnjácʹ), зво́льніць pf (zvólʹnicʹ)
- Bulgarian: уволня́вам (bg) impf (uvolnjávam)
- Catalan: acomiadar (ca), fer fora
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 解雇 (zh) (jiěgù), 開除／开除 (zh) (kāichú)
- Czech: vyhodit (cs)
- Danish: fyre, afskedige, fritstille
- Dutch: ontslaan (nl)
- Esperanto: maldungi
- Finnish: erottaa (fi), antaa potkut, irtisanoa (fi)
- French: licencier (fr), congédier (fr), mettre à la porte (fr), limoger (fr), virer (fr), lourder (fr)
- Galician: despedir, chimpar
- Georgian: გაგდება (gagdeba), დათხოვნა (datxovna), გაშვება (gašveba)
- German: feuern (de), kündigen (de)
- Greek: απολύω (el) (apolýo)
- Hebrew: פיטר (pitér)
- Hungarian: kirúg (hu)
- Icelandic: reka (is), segja upp, sparka (is)
- Indonesian: pecat (id)
- Italian: licenziare (it), dimettere (it)
- Japanese: 首にする (kubi ni suru), 解雇する (ja) (かいこする, kaiko suru), 首を切る (くびをきる, kubi o kiru)
- Kapampangan: sisanti
- Khmer: បណ្ដេញចេញពីការងារ (bɑndəɲ cəɲ pii kaaŋie), ផ្លាស់ចេញពីមុខការ (plah cəɲ pii muk kaa), ដកងារ (dɑɑk ŋie), បញ្ឈប់ (km) (bɑɲcʰup)
- Korean: 해고(解雇)하다 (ko) (haegohada)
- Lao: ໄລ່ອອກ (lai ʼǭk)
- Lü: ᦺᦟᦀᦸᧅ (lay˙ʼoak)
- Macedonian: отпушта (otpušta)
- Maori: pana
- Mongolian: огцруулах (mn) (ogcruulax)
- Northern Thai: ᩃᩱ᩵ᩋᩬᨠ
- Norwegian: gi sparken, sparke (no), avskjedige (no)
- Polish: zwolnić (pl) pf, zwalniać (pl) impf, (colloquial) wylać (pl) pf, wylewać (pl) impf
- Portuguese: despedir (pt), demitir (pt)
- Russian: увольня́ть (ru) impf (uvolʹnjátʹ), уво́лить (ru) pf (uvólitʹ)
- Shan: လႆႇဢွၵ်ႇ (lài ʼàuk)
- Slovak: vyhodiť, vyhadzovať
- Slovene: odpustiti
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: gódy daś
- Spanish: despedir (es), echar (es), licenciar (es), correr (es) (Mexico, colloquial)
- Swahili: kupiga risasi, moto (sw)
- Swedish: sparka (sv) (informal), avskeda (sv)
- Tagalog: sisante
- Telugu: ఉద్యోగం నుండి తొలగించు (udyōgaṁ nuṇḍi tolagiñcu)
- Thai: ไล่ออก (th) (lâi-ɔ̀ɔk)
- Turkish: kovmak (tr), işten atmak
- Ukrainian: звільня́ти impf (zvilʹnjáty), звільни́ти pf (zvilʹnýty)
- Vietnamese: sa thải (vi), đuổi việc
- Welsh: diswyddo (cy)
- West Frisian: dien jaan
- Yiddish: אָפּזאָגן (opzogn)
transitive: to shoot
- Afrikaans: vuur (af)
- Armenian: կրակել (hy) (krakel)
- Belarusian: страля́ць impf (straljácʹ), стрэ́ліць pf (strélicʹ)
- Bulgarian: стрелям (bg) (streljam)
- Catalan: disparar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 發射／发射 (zh) (fāshè)
- Czech: střílet (cs)
- Danish: affyre
- Dutch: afvuren (nl)
- Finnish: laukaista (fi), ampua (fi), tulittaa (fi)
- French: tirer (fr), faire feu (fr)
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: abfeuern (de)
- Hebrew: ירה (he) (yaráh)
- Hindi: बजाना (hi) (bajānā)
- Hungarian: elsüt (hu)
- Indonesian: menembak (id)
- Irish: scaoil
- Italian: sparare (it), fare fuoco
- Japanese: 発砲する (ja) (はっぽうする, happōsuru), 撃つ (ja) (utsu)
- Korean: 발포(發砲)하다 (ko) (balpohada), 발사(發射)하다 (ko) (balsahada)
- Latvian: šaut
- Lithuanian: šauti (lt), šaudyti
- Maori: pupuhi, taipara, whakapākūkū (repeatedly)
- Norwegian: avfyre (no)
- Polish: strzelać (pl) impf, strzelić (pl) pf, bić (pl) impf
- Portuguese: disparar (pt), atirar (pt)
- Russian: стреля́ть (ru) impf (streljátʹ), вы́стрелить (ru) pf (výstrelitʹ), пали́ть (ru) (palítʹ) (obsolete)
- Slovene: ustreliti (sl), streljati (sl)
- Spanish: disparar (es), tirar (es)
- Swahili: kupiga risasi, moto (sw)
- Swedish: skjuta (sv)
- Telugu: కాల్చు (te) (kālcu)
- Thai: ยิง (th) (ying)
- Ukrainian: стріля́ти impf (striljáty)
- Welsh: saethu (cy), tanio (cy)
- West Frisian: sjitte
intransitive: to shoot
- Armenian: կրակել (hy) (krakel)
- Belarusian: страля́ць impf (straljácʹ), стрэ́ліць pf (strélicʹ)
- Bulgarian: стрелям (bg) (streljam)
- Catalan: disparar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 開火／开火 (zh) (kāihuǒ), 射擊／射击 (zh) (shèjī, shèjí)
- Czech: vystřelit (cs)
- Danish: fyre, skyde (da)
- Dutch: vuren (nl), schieten (nl)
- Finnish: tulittaa (fi), ampua (fi)
- French: tirer (fr), faire feu (fr)
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: feuern (de), schießen (de)
- Hebrew: ירה (he) (yaráh)
- Hungarian: tüzel (hu)
- Indonesian: tembak (id)
- Italian: sparare (it), fare fuoco
- Japanese: 発射する (ja) (はっしゃする, hassha suru), 撃つ (ja) (utsu)
- Korean: 발포(發砲)하다 (ko) (balpohada), 발사(發射)하다 (ko) (balsahada)
- Macedonian: пука (puka)
- Maori: pupuhi
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: fyre (no), avfyre (no)
- Nynorsk: fyre, avfyre
- Portuguese: disparar (pt)
- Russian: стреля́ть (ru) impf (streljátʹ), вы́стрелить (ru) pf (výstrelitʹ)
- Slovak: páliť, strieľať, vystreliť
- Slovene: ustreliti (sl), streljati (sl)
- Spanish: disparar (es), descargar (es)
- Swahili: moto (sw)
- Swedish: avfyra (sv), ge eld (sv)
- Thai: ยิง (th) (ying)
- Turkish: ateş etmek (tr)
- Ukrainian: стріля́ти impf (striljáty)
- Welsh: saethu (cy), tanio (cy)
- West Frisian: sjitte
to inflame; to irritate, as the passions
to animate; to give life or spirit to
to light up as if by fire
to be irritated or inflamed with passion
- Danish: gløde
- Finnish: hehkua (fi)
Further reading[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
- -fier, Fier, Frie, fier, refi, reif, rief, rife
Asturian[edit]
Verb[edit]
fire
- third-person singular present indicative of firir
Bavarian[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- vire (spelling)
Etymology[edit]
Compare Alemannic German füre.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ˈfiːrɛ/
Adverb[edit]
fire
- ahead, forward (direction away from the speaker)
- Se san fire gångan. ― They went ahead.
Usage notes[edit]
Bavarian adverbs of direction come in pairs: endings in -i or -e denote direction away from the speaker (akin to German hin), and endings in -a denote direction towards the speaker (akin to German her).
[edit]
- fira
Crimean Tatar[edit]
Noun[edit]
fire
- shrinkage, loss
- scrap
Danish[edit]
| < 3 | 4 | 5 > |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal : fire Ordinal : fjerde |
||
Etymology 1[edit]
From Old Norse fjórir, from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres (“four”).
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /fiːrə/, [ˈfiːɐ]
Numeral[edit]
fire
- four
Usage notes[edit]
In compounds: fir-.
Etymology 2[edit]
From Middle Low German fīren, from French virer (“bear, veer”).
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /fiːrə/, [ˈfiːɐ]
Verb[edit]
fire (imperative fir, infinitive at fire, present tense firer, past tense firede, perfect tense har firet)
- to lower something fixed to a rope or something similar
- 1871, Jens Andreas Friis, Lappisk Mythologi, page 138
- Saa gik han hen og firede Stenen og Vidietouget ned i Hullet.
- Then he went [to the hole] and lowered the rock and the wicker rope down into the hole.
- Saa gik han hen og firede Stenen og Vidietouget ned i Hullet.
-
2014, Teddy Vork, Diget, Tellerup A/S, →ISBN:
-
Han satte sig på knæ, famlede sig frem til tovet og vendte sig rundt så han havde ryggen til hullet, drejede overkroppen bagud, firede faklen ned i hullet.
- He kneeled, fumbled his way to the rope and turned around, such that his back was to the hole, twisted his torso backwards, lowered the torch into the hole.
-
- 1871, Jens Andreas Friis, Lappisk Mythologi, page 138
Conjugation[edit]
Italian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Vulgar Latin *fīre, from Latin fīerī (“become, be”). Compare Romanian fi.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ˈfi.re/
- Rhymes: -ire
- Hyphenation: fì‧re
Verb[edit]
fìre (third-person only, no present, no past historic, no past participle, no imperfect, third-person singular future fìa or fìe, no subjunctive, no imperfect subjunctive)
- (northern Italy, obsolete) to be
- Synonym: essere
Conjugation[edit]
- The only forms attested outside of ancient Northern Italian literature are the future fia, fie (third-person singular) and fiano, fieno (third-person plural).
Conjugation of fìre (-ire; third-person only; irregular; defective) (See Appendix:Italian verbs)
| infinitive | fìre | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| auxiliary verb | — | gerund | — | |||
| present participle | — | past participle | — | |||
| person | singular | plural | ||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | |
| indicative | io | tu | lui/lei, esso/essa | noi | voi | loro, essi/esse |
| present | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| imperfect | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| past historic | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| future | — | — | fìa, fìe | — | — | fìano, fìeno |
| conditional | io | tu | lui/lei, esso/essa | noi | voi | loro, essi/esse |
| present | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| subjunctive | che io | che tu | che lui/che lei, che esso/che essa | che noi | che voi | che loro, che essi/che esse |
| present | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| imperfect | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| imperative | — | tu | Lei | noi | voi | Loro |
| — | — | — | — | — | ||
| negative imperative | — | — | — | — | — |
Further reading[edit]
- fire in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana
Anagrams[edit]
- ferì, refi
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
| < 3 | 4 | 5 > |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal : fire Ordinal : fjerde |
||
Etymology 1[edit]
From Danish fire, Old Norse fjórir, from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr, from *kʷetwṓr, the neuter form of Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ˈfiːɾə/
Numeral[edit]
fire
- four
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from fire (numeral)
[edit]
- fjerde (ordinal)
Etymology 2[edit]
From French virer, via Middle Low German firen.
Verb[edit]
fire (imperative fir, present tense firer, passive fires, simple past fira or firet or firte, past participle fira or firet or firt, present participle firende)
- to slacken, ease
- to lower (a flag)
References[edit]
- “fire” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]
| < 3 | 4 | 5 > |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal : fire Ordinal : fjerde |
||
Etymology 1[edit]
From Danish fire, Old Norse fjórir, from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr, from *kʷetwṓr, the neuter form of Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres.
Pronunciation[edit]
IPA(key): /ˈfiːɾə/
Numeral[edit]
fire
- four
Derived terms[edit]
- firedel
- firehjulsdrift
- fireåring, firåring
- firkant
- firkløver
- firmenning
[edit]
- fjerde (ordinal)
Etymology 2[edit]
From French virer, via Middle Low German firen.
Verb[edit]
fire
- to slacken, ease
- to lower (e.g. a flag)
References[edit]
- “fire” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Romanian[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ˈfi.re/
Etymology 1[edit]
Noun[edit]
fire n
- plural of fir
Etymology 2[edit]
From fi + -re.
Noun[edit]
fire f (plural firi)
- essence, substance, nature
- Synonym: natură
- character, temper, disposition
- Synonyms: caracter, temperament
- mind
- Synonym: minte
Declension[edit]
Declension of fire
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
| nominative/accusative | (o) fire | firea | (niște) firi | firile |
| genitive/dative | (unei) firi | firii | (unor) firi | firilor |
| vocative | fire, fireo | firilor |
[edit]
- firesc
- firește
- firetic
Turkish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from Greek Φύρα (Fýra).
Noun[edit]
fire (definite accusative fireyi, plural fireler)
- wastage
- outage
- shrinkage, loss, loss in weight, decrease
- turnover
- ullage
- leakage
- waste, tret, deficiency
Declension[edit]
| Inflection | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | fire | |
| Definite accusative | fireyi | |
| Singular | Plural | |
| Nominative | fire | fireler |
| Definite accusative | fireyi | fireleri |
| Dative | fireye | firelere |
| Locative | firede | firelerde |
| Ablative | fireden | firelerden |
| Genitive | firenin | firelerin |