I. BURNING, HEAT, OR ENTHUSIASM
/faɪə(r)/
( fires, firing, fired)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
Please look at category 13 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1.
Fire is the hot, bright flames produced by things that are burning.
They saw a big flash and a huge ball of fire reaching hundreds of feet into the sky...
Many students were trapped by smoke and fire on an upper floor.
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2.
Fire or a fire is an occurrence of uncontrolled burning which destroys buildings, forests, or other things.
87 people died in a fire at the Happy Land Social Club...
A forest fire is sweeping across portions of north Maine this evening...
Much of historic Rennes was destroyed by fire in 1720.
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3.
A fire is a burning pile of wood, coal, or other fuel that you make, for example to use for heat, light, or cooking.
There was a fire in the grate...
After the killing, he calmly lit a fire to destroy evidence.
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4.
A fire is a device that uses electricity or gas to give out heat and warm a room. ( mainly BRIT; in AM, usually use heater )
The gas fire was still alight...
N-COUNT : oft n N
5.
When a pot or clay object is fired , it is heated at a high temperature in a special oven, as part of the process of making it.
After the pot is dipped in this mixture, it is fired...
VERB : be V-ed
6.
When the engine of a motor vehicle fires , an electrical spark is produced which causes the fuel to burn and the engine to work.
The engine fired and we moved off.
VERB : V
7.
If you fire someone with enthusiasm, you make them feel very enthusiastic. If you fire someone’s imagination, you make them feel interested and excited.
...the potential to fire the imagination of an entire generation...
It was Allen who fired this rivalry with real passion...
Both his grandfathers were fired with an enthusiasm for public speaking...
VERB : V n , V n with n , be V-ed with n
8.
You can use fire to refer in an approving way to someone’s energy and enthusiasm.
I went to hear him speak and was very impressed. He seemed so full of fire...
= passion
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9.
If an object or substance catches fire , it starts burning.
The aircraft caught fire soon after take-off.
PHRASE : V inflects
10.
If something is on fire , it is burning and being damaged or destroyed by an uncontrolled fire.
The captain radioed that the ship was on fire.
= burning
PHRASE : v-link PHR
11.
If you say that someone is playing with fire , you mean that they are doing something dangerous that may result in great harm for them and cause many problems.
Schulte warned government and industrial leaders that those who even venture to think about mass layoffs are playing with fire.
PHRASE : V inflects
12.
If you set fire to something or if you set it on fire , you start it burning in order to damage or destroy it.
They set fire to vehicles outside that building...
Lightning set several buildings on fire.
PHRASE : V inflects
13.
to have irons on the fire: see iron
like a house on fire: see house
there’s no smoke without fire: see smoke
II. SHOOTING OR ATTACKING
/faɪə(r)/
( fires, firing, fired)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
Please look at category 13 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1.
If someone fires a gun or a bullet, or if they fire , a bullet is sent from a gun that they are using.
Seven people were wounded when soldiers fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds...
The gun was fired and Beaton was wounded a second time...
Seventeen people were killed when security forces fired on demonstrators...
They were firing. I screamed at them to stop.
VERB : V n , V n , V on n , V
• fir‧ing
The firing continued even while the protestors were fleeing.
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2.
You can use fire to refer to the shots fired from a gun or guns.
His car was raked with fire from automatic weapons...
The two were reportedly killed in an exchange of fire during a police raid.
= gunfire
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3.
If you fire an arrow, you send it from a bow.
He fired an arrow into a clearing in the forest.
= shoot
VERB : V n
4.
If you fire questions at someone, you ask them a lot of questions very quickly, one after another.
They were bombarded by more than 100 representatives firing questions on pollution.
VERB : V n
5.
If you draw fire for something that you have done, you cause people to criticize you or attack you because of it.
The council recently drew fire for its intervention in the dispute...
PHRASE : V inflects
6.
If someone holds their fire or holds fire , they stop shooting or they wait before they start shooting.
Devereux ordered his men to hold their fire until the ships got closer.
PHRASE : V inflects
7.
If you hold fire in a situation, you delay before taking action.
Observers reckon the Bank of England will hold fire until nearer the Budget.
= hold back
PHRASE : V inflects
8.
If you are in the line of fire , you are in a position where someone is aiming their gun at you. If you move into their line of fire , you move into a position between them and the thing they were aiming at.
He cheerfully blows away any bad guy stupid enough to get in his line of fire...
The man and his son had been pushed into the line of fire by their captors.
PHRASE
9.
If you open fire on someone, you start shooting at them.
Then without warning, the troops opened fire on the crowd.
PHRASE : V inflects , oft PHR on n
10.
If you return fire or you return someone’s fire , you shoot back at someone who has shot at you.
The soldiers returned fire after being attacked.
PHRASE : V inflects
11.
If you come under fire or are under fire , someone starts shooting at you.
The Belgians fell back as the infantry came under fire.
PHRASE : usu v PHR , v-link PHR
12.
If you come under fire from someone or are under fire , they criticize you strongly.
The president’s plan first came under fire from critics who said he hadn’t included enough spending cuts.
PHRASE : usu v PHR , v-link PHR
13.
to fire from the hip: see hip
III. DISMISSAL
/faɪə(r)/
( fires, firing, fired)
If an employer fires you, they dismiss you from your job.
If he hadn’t been so good at the rest of his job, I probably would have fired him...
She was sent a box of chocolates along with a letter saying she was fired.
= sack
VERB : V n , V n
• fir‧ing
There was yet another round of firings.
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