misfire
/'mis'faiə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A failure to fire or explode: A misfire is an event where a gun, explosive device, or engine fails to operate or ignite as intended.
- A failure to achieve an intended result: More broadly, a misfire can refer to any plan, joke, or action that fails to have its desired effect.
Verb:
- To fail to fire or detonate: When a gun, engine, or explosive device misfires, it does not operate correctly when triggered.
- To fail to achieve an intended outcome: When a plan, action, or attempt misfires, it does not succeed or produce the expected result.
Examples
Noun:
- The loud click indicated a misfire, and the pistol did not shoot.
- His attempt at humor was a complete misfire; no one laughed.
Verb:
- The old engine misfired several times before starting.
- The marketing campaign misfired and failed to attract new customers.
Advanced Usage
"to be a misfire": to be something that fails completely.
- The new product launch was a total misfire; it was withdrawn from stores within a month.
"to end in a misfire": for an event or process to conclude with a failure.
- The negotiations ended in a misfire, with no agreement reached.
Variants and Related Words
- Misfiring (n/adj): The act or instance of failing to fire; describing something that is failing to fire.
- The mechanic diagnosed the problem as a misfiring cylinder.
Synonyms
- Noun: Dud, failure, flop, malfunction.
- Verb: Fail, fizzle, flop, malfunction.
Related Phrases
- Backfire: While similar, "backfire" often implies a plan that fails and causes harm to its originator, whereas "misfire" focuses more on the simple failure to operate or succeed.
- His scheme to get a promotion backfired and he lost his job. (Compare to: His scheme misfired and nothing happened.)
Noun
- a failure to hit (or meet or find etc)
- an explosion that fails to occur
Verb
- fail to fire or detonate
- The guns misfired