fire
verb/ˈfaɪə(r)/
/ˈfaɪər/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they fire | /ˈfaɪə(r)/ /ˈfaɪər/ |
| he / she / it fires | /ˈfaɪəz/ /ˈfaɪərz/ |
| past simple fired | /ˈfaɪəd/ /ˈfaɪərd/ |
| past participle fired | /ˈfaɪəd/ /ˈfaɪərd/ |
| -ing form firing | /ˈfaɪərɪŋ/ /ˈfaɪərɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to shoot bullets, etc. from a gun or other weapon
- The officer ordered his men to fire.
- fire on somebody/something Soldiers fired on the crowd.
- fire something to fire missiles/rockets/bullets
- They ran away as soon as the first shot was fired.
- fire something into something He fired the gun into the air.
- fire into something He fired into the air.
- fire at somebody/something She fired at her attacker.
- fire something at somebody/something She fired an arrow at the target.
- Missiles were fired at the enemy.
Collocations War and peaceWar and peaceStarting a war- declare/make/wage war (on somebody/something)
- go to war (against/with somebody)
- cause/spark/provoke/foment/quell unrest
- incite/lead/crush/suppress a revolt/rebellion
- launch/mount/carry out a surprise/terrorist attack
- prevent/halt/represent an escalation of the conflict
- be torn apart by/be on the brink of civil war
- enter/invade/occupy somebody’s territory
- lead/launch/resist/repel an invasion
- adopt/develop/implement/pursue a military strategy
- carry out/execute/perform military operations/manoeuvres
- send/deploy/station/pull back/withdraw troops
- go on/fly/carry out a reconnaissance/rescue mission
- train/equip/deploy army/military/combat units
- lead/launch/conduct a raid/a surprise attack/an (air/airborne/amphibious) assault (on somebody)
- employ/use guerrilla tactics
- conduct/wage biological/guerrilla warfare
- fight/crush/defeat the rebels/the insurgency
- suffer/inflict a crushing defeat
- achieve/win a decisive victory
- halt/stop the British/German/Russian advance
- order/force a retreat
- join/serve in the army/navy/air force
- be/go/remain/serve on active duty
- serve/complete/return from a tour of duty
- be sent to the front (line)
- attack/strike/engage/defeat/kill/destroy the enemy
- see/report/be engaged in heavy fighting
- call for/be met with armed resistance
- come under heavy/machine-gun/mortar fire
- fire a machine-gun/mortar shells/rockets (at somebody/something)
- shoot a rifle/a pistol/bullets/missiles
- launch/fire a cruise/ballistic/anti-tank missile
- use biological/chemical/nuclear weapons
- inflict/suffer/sustain heavy losses/casualties
- be hit/killed by enemy/friendly/artillery fire
- become/be held as a prisoner of war
- harm/kill/target/protect innocent/unarmed civilians
- cause/avoid/limit/minimize civilian casualties/collateral damage
- impose/enforce/lift a curfew
- engage in/be a victim of ethnic cleansing
- be sent to an internment/a concentration camp
- accept/house/resettle refugees fleeing from war
- fear/threaten military/violent reprisals
- commit/be accused of war crimes/crimes against humanity/genocide
- make/bring/win/achieve/maintain/promote peace
- call for/negotiate/broker/declare a ceasefire/a temporary truce
- sign a ceasefire agreement
- call for/bring/put an end to hostilities
- demand/negotiate/accept the surrender of somebody/something
- establish/send (in) a peacekeeping force
- negotiate/conclude/ratify/sign/accept/reject/break/violate a peace treaty
Extra ExamplesTopics War and conflictb1- A dense volley of missiles was fired directly at the ship.
- He grabbed the shotgun, ready to fire if anyone entered.
- He ordered the troops to fire over the heads of the crowd.
- She fired a revolver at her attacker.
- She fired blindly into the mass of shadows.
- The police fired on protesters in the city centre.
- Whitlock purposely fired wide.
- The soldiers appeared to fire indiscriminately into the crowd.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- blindly
- indiscriminately
- randomly
- …
- be ready to
- order somebody to
- at
- into
- on
- …
Definitions on the go
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- [intransitive, transitive] (of a gun) to shoot bullets out
- We heard the sound of guns firing.
- fire something A starter's pistol fires only blanks.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- blindly
- indiscriminately
- randomly
- …
- be ready to
- order somebody to
- at
- into
- on
- …
- [transitive] to force somebody to leave their job synonym sack
- fire somebody We had to fire him for dishonesty.
- He was responsible for hiring and firing staff.
- fire somebody from something She got fired from her first job.
Collocations UnemploymentUnemploymentLosing your jobTopics Social issuesb1- lose your job
- (British English) become/be made redundant
- be offered/take voluntary redundancy/early retirement
- face/be threatened with dismissal/(British English) the sack/(British English) compulsory redundancy
- dismiss/fire/ (especially British English) sack an employee/a worker/a manager
- lay off staff/workers/employees
- (Australian English, New Zealand English, South African English) retrench workers
- cut/reduce/downsize/slash the workforce
- (British English) make staff/workers/employees redundant
- be unemployed/out of work/out of a job
- seek/look for work/employment
- be on/collect/draw/get/receive (both British English) unemployment benefit/jobseeker’s allowance
- be/go/live/sign (British English, informal) on the dole
- claim/draw/get (British English, informal) the dole
- be on/qualify for (North American English) unemployment (compensation)
- be/go/live/depend (North American English) on welfare
- collect/receive (North American English) welfare
- combat/tackle/cut/reduce unemployment
- [transitive] to make somebody feel very excited about something or interested in something
- fire somebody with something The talk had fired her with enthusiasm for the project.
- fire something The stories fired his imagination
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsc2- The speaker knew how to fire the blood.
- His imagination had been fired by the film.
- [intransitive] when an engine fires, an electrical spark is produced that makes the fuel burn and the engine start to work
- (in adjectives) using the fuel mentioned in order to operate
- gas-fired central heating
- [transitive] fire something to heat a clay object to make it hard and strong
- to fire pottery
- to fire bricks in a kiln
shoot
from job
make somebody enthusiastic
of engine
-fired
clay objects
Word OriginOld English fȳr (noun), fȳrian ‘supply with material for a fire’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch vuur and German Feuer.
Idioms
See fire in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee fire in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishfire questions, insults, etc. at somebody
- to ask somebody a lot of questions one after another or make a lot of comments very quickly
- The room was full of journalists, all firing questions at them.
working/firing on all cylinders
- (informal) using all your energy to do something; working as well as possible
Check pronunciation:
fire