fire 1 of 2

noun

ˈfī(-ə)r How to pronounce fire (audio)
Definition of firenext
1
as in inferno
a destructive burning a number of suspicious fires in the neighborhood recently

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in intensity
depth of feeling had she the fire in her heart that a run for the White House requires?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ordeal
a test of faith, patience, or strength asked to be sent to the front lines, as he was eager to prove himself in the fire of battle

Synonyms & Similar Words

fire

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to shoot
to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force police officers firing rubber bullets

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to blast
to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force soldiers fired at the enemy in panic-stricken disorder

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to stimulate
to give life, vigor, or spirit to a school outing to the natural history museum fired his imagination, and he grew up to become an eminent paleontologist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to sack
to let go from office, service, or employment fired the secretary for incompetence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to throw
to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm fired a pass to the running back

Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in to burn
to set (something) on fire lit some kindling before attempting to fire the logs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fire
Noun
After that, the chants to fire Riley rang out from the student section. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 All told, 71 New Yorkers have died so far in a fire this year, compared to 40 at the same time last year. — Lillian Bonsignore, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026
Verb
More than 1,000 people attended the party More than 1,000 people had gathered at the site, and more than 50 shots were fired in at least two locations about a block apart in Vienna, Peavy told WMAZ-TV. — Mike Stewart, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 The shooting occurred near where a woman told deputies late Saturday that the man had pointed a gun at her and her husband and fired, sheriff’s officials said Monday. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fire
  1. inferno
  2. intensity
  3. ordeal
  4. shoot
  5. blast
  6. stimulate
  7. sack
  8. throw
Noun
  • Four cars and two storage containers were damaged by the inferno, the fire department said.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The crew use three tiers of flame bars behind Howell to spark the inferno that will snake through prom, fueled by the growing intensity of Carrie’s powers.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • Lee remembers the intensity with which Carleton wanted to be involved in that kind of work.
    — Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • There is another band from the ’70s who in their own way are seen as the pinnacle of technical intensity, which is Steely Dan, who Jeff played with.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of intensity
Noun
  • That entire ordeal is presented in detail, a backstage drama in miniature that treats the boardroom soap opera as the last chance to keep Pandora’s box shut.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Machchhar appeared emotional in the call with Modi while recalling the ordeal, and apologized to the prime minister for crying on the phone.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of ordeal
Verb
  • Smith only realized the error four months ago, when the album campaign was shot and everything was in motion.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Thompson scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting on threes in the first half.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of shoot
Verb
  • Mecklenburg County commissioners blasted Discovery Place over its handling of county money for its nature museum Tuesday and threatened to take control of the museum’s operations and hold Discovery Place in default for millions.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026
  • But that isn't all; matter that isn't feasted upon is channeled to the poles of the black hole, from where it is blasted out as twin jets of plasma moving at near-light speed.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of blast
Verb
  • Serra then analogizes the spatial mediation stimulated by Shift to a verbal operation.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • For hair loss, technicians lean on products and massages that stimulate blood flow.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of stimulate
Verb
  • He was sacked four times, and the Seahawks were flagged twice for roughing the passer.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The Dolphins got constant pressure on the former first overall pick, sacking him four times.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of sack
Verb
  • Bella chews him out for punching Angus in the face right before Angus’s big presentation, which Johnny knew about because they were supposed to throw a return supper for him, a dinner Johnny was supposed to cook.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Victories by Germany’s AfD in state elections have thrown the viability of the country’s government into doubt, while France’s National Rally is the odds-on favorite to win next year’s presidential election.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of throw

Phrases Containing fire

Browse Nearby Words

fins
fire
fire and brimstone
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fire. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on fire

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fire

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inscrutable

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All