Pronunciation: /mɪs.faɪr/

Definitions of misfire

noun a failure of a gun or explosive to fire correctly

Example Sentences

A1 The gun's misfire startled everyone at the shooting range.

A2 The car engine had a misfire, causing it to sputter and stall.

B1 The misfire of the marketing campaign led to lower than expected sales.

B2 The misfire of the rocket launch resulted in a delay of the mission.

C1 The misfire of the new policy caused confusion among employees.

C2 The misfire of the diplomatic negotiations jeopardized the peace talks.

verb to fail to fire correctly

Example Sentences

A1 The gun misfired when he tried to shoot it.

A2 The car misfired a few times before finally starting.

B1 The plan to surprise her misfired when she found out about it beforehand.

B2 The company's marketing campaign misfired due to poor timing.

C1 The politician's attempt to gain support misfired and caused a backlash.

C2 The new software update misfired, causing widespread system failures.

Examples of misfire in a Sentence

formal The engine misfired due to a faulty spark plug.

informal My plan to surprise her completely misfired.

slang His attempt to flirt with her misfired and he ended up embarrassing himself.

figurative The comedian's joke misfired and fell flat with the audience.

Grammatical Forms of misfire

past tense

misfired

plural

misfires

comparative

more misfiring

superlative

most misfiring

present tense

misfire

future tense

will misfire

perfect tense

has misfired

continuous tense

is misfiring

singular

misfire

positive degree

misfire

infinitive

to misfire

gerund

misfiring

participle

misfired

Origin and Evolution of misfire

First Known Use: 1601 year
Language of Origin: English
Story behind the word: The word 'misfire' originated from the combination of 'mis-' meaning wrong or badly, and 'fire' referring to the act of shooting a gun or weapon.
Evolution of the word: Initially used in the context of firearms, 'misfire' has evolved to encompass any failure or malfunction in a planned action or process.