misfire
English edit
Etymology edit
Either a univerbation of earlier miss fire, or the compound mis- + fire (or possibly a confluence of both).
Pronunciation edit
- (noun) IPA(key): /ˈmɪs.faɪ(ɹ)/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - (verb) IPA(key): /mɪsˈfaɪ(ɹ)/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - (General American) (noun and verb) IPA(key): /ˈmɪs.faɪ.ɚ/
- Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
Noun edit
misfire (plural misfires)
- An act of misfiring.
- (figurative) A failure.
Translations edit
An act of misfiring
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Verb edit
misfire (third-person singular simple present misfires, present participle misfiring, simple past and past participle misfired)
- (firearms) To fail to discharge properly.
- (of an engine) To fail to ignite in the proper sequence.
- (of a nerve or neuron) To initiate an action potential without the proper stimulus.
- (by extension) To fail to achieve the anticipated result.
- His practical joke misfired and he nearly burnt my left hand.
Translations edit
To fail to discharge properly
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To fail to ignite in the proper sequence
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To fail to achieve the anticipated result
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