I. BURNING, HEAT, OR ENTHUSIASM
(~s, firing, ~d)
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 ~ reaching hundreds of feet into the sky...
Many students were trapped by smoke and ~ on an upper floor.
N-UNCOUNT
2.
Fire or a ~ is an occurrence of uncontrolled burning which destroys buildings, forests, or other things.
87 people died in a ~ at the Happy Land Social Club...
A forest ~ is sweeping across portions of north Maine this evening...
Much of historic Rennes was destroyed by ~ in 1720.
N-VAR
3.
A ~ 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 ~ in the grate...
After the killing, he calmly lit a ~ to destroy evidence.
N-COUNT
4.
A ~ 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 ~ was still alight...
N-COUNT: oft n N
5.
When a pot or clay object is ~d, 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 ~d...
VERB: be V-ed
6.
When the engine of a motor vehicle ~s, an electrical spark is produced which causes the fuel to burn and the engine to work.
The engine ~d and we moved off.
VERB: V
7.
If you ~ someone with enthusiasm, you make them feel very enthusiastic. If you ~ someone’s imagination, you make them feel interested and excited.
...the potential to ~ the imagination of an entire generation...
It was Allen who ~d this rivalry with real passion...
Both his grandfathers were ~d with an enthusiasm for public speaking...
VERB: V n, V n with n, be V-ed with n
8.
You can use ~ 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 ~...
= passion
N-UNCOUNT approval
9.
If an object or substance catches ~, it starts burning.
The aircraft caught ~ soon after take-off.
PHRASE: V inflects
10.
If something is on ~, it is burning and being damaged or destroyed by an uncontrolled ~.
The captain radioed that the ship was on ~.
= burning
PHRASE: v-link PHR
11.
If you say that someone is playing with ~, 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 ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
12.
If you set ~ to something or if you set it on ~, you start it burning in order to damage or destroy it.
They set ~ to vehicles outside that building...
Lightning set several buildings on ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
13.
to have irons on the ~: see iron
like a house on ~: see house
there’s no smoke without ~: see smoke
II. SHOOTING OR ATTACKING
(~s, firing, ~d)
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 ~s a gun or a bullet, or if they ~, a bullet is sent from a gun that they are using.
Seven people were wounded when soldiers ~d rubber bullets to disperse crowds...
The gun was ~d and Beaton was wounded a second time...
Seventeen people were killed when security forces ~d on demonstrators...
They were firing. I screamed at them to stop.
VERB: V n, V n, V on n, V
firing
The firing continued even while the protestors were fleeing.
N-UNCOUNT
2.
You can use ~ to refer to the shots ~d from a gun or guns.
His car was raked with ~ from automatic weapons...
The two were reportedly killed in an exchange of ~ during a police raid.
= gun~
N-UNCOUNT
3.
If you ~ an arrow, you send it from a bow.
He ~d an arrow into a clearing in the forest.
= shoot
VERB: V n
4.
If you ~ 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 ~ for something that you have done, you cause people to criticize you or attack you because of it.
The council recently drew ~ for its intervention in the dispute...
PHRASE: V inflects
6.
If someone holds their ~ or holds ~, they stop shooting or they wait before they start shooting.
Devereux ordered his men to hold their ~ until the ships got closer.
PHRASE: V inflects
7.
If you hold ~ in a situation, you delay before taking action.
Observers reckon the Bank of England will hold ~ until nearer the Budget.
= hold back
PHRASE: V inflects
8.
If you are in the line of ~, you are in a position where someone is aiming their gun at you. If you move into their line of ~, 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 ~...
The man and his son had been pushed into the line of ~ by their captors.
PHRASE
9.
If you open ~ on someone, you start shooting at them.
Then without warning, the troops opened ~ on the crowd.
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR on n
10.
If you return ~ or you return someone’s ~, you shoot back at someone who has shot at you.
The soldiers returned ~ after being attacked.
PHRASE: V inflects
11.
If you come under ~ or are under ~, someone starts shooting at you.
The Belgians fell back as the infantry came under ~.
PHRASE: usu v PHR, v-link PHR
12.
If you come under ~ from someone or are under ~, they criticize you strongly.
The president’s plan first came under ~ from critics who said he hadn’t included enough spending cuts.
PHRASE: usu v PHR, v-link PHR
13.
to ~ from the hip: see hip
III. DISMISSAL
(~s, firing, ~d)
If an employer ~s you, they dismiss you from your job.
If he hadn’t been so good at the rest of his job, I probably would have ~d him...
She was sent a box of chocolates along with a letter saying she was ~d.
= sack
VERB: V n, V n
firing
There was yet another round of firings.
N-COUNT