as in to fail
to go wrong
their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in catastrophe
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of misfire
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
That optimism may be a bit misguided, considering the history of emerging sports league misfires.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Nov. 2025
By Deborah Brennan, CalMatters California lawmakers are demanding answers after a live fire demonstration over Camp Pendleton Saturday led to a misfire that rained shrapnel on Interstate 5, striking two California Highway Patrol vehicles.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misfire
Verb
On the next sequence, after Traoré misfired, Devin Carter hit a six-footer to cap a 7-0 run.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
That optimism may be a bit misguided, considering the history of emerging sports league misfires.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
Bill Self had seen enough after watching sophomore big man Flory Bidunga misfire on three inside shots and also fail to prevent a pair of inside buckets in the early moments of Kansas’ Players Era opener against Notre Dame on Monday at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Nov. 2025
By Deborah Brennan, CalMatters California lawmakers are demanding answers after a live fire demonstration over Camp Pendleton Saturday led to a misfire that rained shrapnel on Interstate 5, striking two California Highway Patrol vehicles.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misfire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfire
Verb
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In the video, Woods can be seen wearing a blue polo shirt and leaning against the patrol car while failing the sobriety tests.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
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In other words, when a job requires multiple steps, creativity, or precision, AI replacements are more likely to fail than succeed.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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It was later identified, by an unnamed official to thel, as showing a bunker buster bomb attack on an ammunition depot in the city.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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The attack, which reportedly used 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, marks a major escalation as the conflict in the region entered its second month.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Women infected during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, are more likely to miscarry or have a stillbirth.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
2 Mar. 2026
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The standard of care for miscarrying patients in the second trimester, for example, is to offer to empty the uterus, which can lower the risk of infection and sepsis, according to leading medical organizations.—
Cassandra Jaramillo,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The novel was adapted once before — as a notorious feature film flop.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
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Made with bread flour, hard red spring wheat and spelt, its greatness lies in the chew of the crust, and in its flop.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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None of the streetlights were working, and the driverless cars were stalled everywhere.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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The average retail price to fill up hasn't been this high since August 2022 when Republicans were relentless in their focus on gas prices and successfully took back Congress, stalling the rest of former President Joe Biden's agenda.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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To hear the critics’ version of events, an unprovoked and unnecessary attack on Iran, launched at Israel’s behest, is already a foreign-policy fiasco that has put the global economy at risk without any clear objective or endgame.—
Bret Stephens,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Now, because of his imprudent and inaccurate sloganeering, even with a majority of his appointees sitting on the board, the mayor faces the prospect of a legal and political fiasco that implicates the honesty of his most prominent promise to his constituents.—
Christian Browne,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 2023, the number dropped significantly, even as supervision failures within jails persisted, down to 63.—
Ryan Oehrli
April 1,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
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Prosecutors also cited Cortez Johnson's prior probation violations, failures to appear, and past convictions.—
Chelsea Jones,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After 48 years of unsuccessful politicking, one might be tempted to call the idea of indexing capital gains a certified washout.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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There are low chances for rain from Wednesday into the weekend but no day looks like a complete washout.—
Rachael Jay,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfire. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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