I. “+ intransitive verb
Etymology: mis- (I) + fire (v.)
1. : to have the explosive or propulsive charge fail to ignite at the proper time or ignite intermittently — used of an internal-combustion engine or rocket engine
2. : to fail to fire — used of a gun or mine
3. : to miss its intended effect
as criticism, this essay misfires — Stephen Spender
some of it is, without doubt, magnificent, and a good deal of it misfires painfully and embarrassingly — Hollis Alpert
II. noun
1.
a. : a failure to fire
b. : a cartridge that fails to fire when the primer is struck by the firing pin
2. : something that misfires
made the scapegoats for the misfire of the recent currency conversion — Current History