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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of misfire
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 11 Jan. 2026
There were issues with intake manifold leaks, exhaust manifold cracking, coolant leaks, engine misfires due to corrosion, and water in the spark plug holes.
—John Paul, The Providence Journal, 9 Jan. 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
Even if the Rams had scored with, say, 90 seconds to go instead of 38 seconds, because a blitz misfired, at least Carolina would have had time to try for a tying field goal and send the game into OT.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 11 Jan. 2026
There were issues with intake manifold leaks, exhaust manifold cracking, coolant leaks, engine misfires due to corrosion, and water in the spark plug holes.
—John Paul, The Providence Journal, 9 Jan. 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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That shutdown ended with a promise to vote on extending the subsidies, which failed.—
Riley Beggin,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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Previous versions of the bill failed to gain traction in both chambers last year.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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On Tuesday morning, Russian planes dropped seven powerful glide bombs on Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, killing an 11-year-old girl and her mother, according to regional chief Vadym Filashkin.—
EMMA BURROWS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
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Uranium is a nuclear fuel that can be used to make a bomb if purified to high levels.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Once there, the woman said she was left in a room, alone, to miscarry without water or medical assistance for more than 24 hours.—
Lautaro Grinspan,
AJC.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Around the same time the following year, Hayley miscarried.—
Brianne Tracy,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Perez Family was a critical and commercial flop.—
Rebecca Traister,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2026
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Everyone wants credit for a hit; for a flop, not so much.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Much of the Department of Homeland Security is set to run out of money Saturday morning after negotiations stalled between the White House and congressional Democrats over new restrictions on federal immigration agents and lawmakers left town without funding the department.—
Riley Beggin,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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The America First agenda is stalled; Senate leadership refuses to end the filibuster.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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State leadership failures are too many to include here, among them mismanagement of Maryland’s energy resources, a high-profile fiasco that has created massive financial pain for its citizens.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Feb. 2026
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There was the Epstein files fiasco.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Because of Tuesday’s rule failure, any bills tucked into that measure sit at a standstill.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Feb. 2026
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The death certificate listed Fisher’s cause of death as septic shock, a bacterial infection, acute kidney failure and pneumonia.—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There is no major washout or concern for burn scar areas.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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This comes amid a debate on the right over what themes to stress to avoid a GOP washout in November.—
The Wall Street Journal,
Twin Cities,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfire. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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