as in failing
to go wrong
their scheme to rob the bank misfired disastrously and landed them all in jail
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Recent Examples of misfiring
The Celtics were far less efficient, misfiring on six of their first seven 3-pointers amid a 4-for-15 start.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Ilia Malinin bounced back from misfiring at the Milan Cortina Olympics by leading after the short program at the figure skating world championships on Thursday.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Then came the shot the crowd had been waiting for as the Pioneer had been misfiring all night from 3-point land.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2026
Given Young’s music centers around modern, misfiring romance, the statement was unexpected.
—Ramon Ramirez, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
Initially, speculation swirled online that the blast at the school could have been caused by misfiring Iranian air defenses, as the IRGC tried to repel incoming air strikes.
—Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
His opening goal, five minutes before half-time, was the spark that a misfiring Chelsea side had required and a crisp, left-foot finish from 20 yards out effectively took the contest away from the home team.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Mayfield completed his first six passes before misfiring on a cross-field, 13-yard toss to Payne Durham, who was wide open in the end zone.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Mayfield completed his first six passes before misfiring on a cross-field, 13-yard toss to Payne Durham, who was wide open in the end zone.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Ilia Malinin bounced back from misfiring at the Milan Cortina Olympics by leading after the short program at the figure skating world championships on Thursday.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Then came the shot the crowd had been waiting for as the Pioneer had been misfiring all night from 3-point land.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2026
Given Young’s music centers around modern, misfiring romance, the statement was unexpected.
—Ramon Ramirez, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
Initially, speculation swirled online that the blast at the school could have been caused by misfiring Iranian air defenses, as the IRGC tried to repel incoming air strikes.
—Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
His opening goal, five minutes before half-time, was the spark that a misfiring Chelsea side had required and a crisp, left-foot finish from 20 yards out effectively took the contest away from the home team.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Mayfield completed his first six passes before misfiring on a cross-field, 13-yard toss to Payne Durham, who was wide open in the end zone.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Mayfield completed his first six passes before misfiring on a cross-field, 13-yard toss to Payne Durham, who was wide open in the end zone.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misfiring
Verb
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Making an actual charge is another as Saturday showed with several players getting close to Coughlin, but failing to make up the difference.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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His administration’s handling of the Iran war — from killing scores of schoolchildren based on outdated intelligence to failing to prepare for the closing of the Strait of Hormuz — is just the latest example of its systemic, and deadly, incompetence.—
James Speyer,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Congress is currently on recess until April 13, stalling further action to reopen the government.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Apr. 2026
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Checkpoints dotted the highway and at one point, his paperwork was rejected, stalling his progress.—
Salma Arafa,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The MorphoScan is even missing a couple of quality-of-life features present on the Etekcity scale, including a safe mode for pregnant women and pacemaker users that disables the BIA electrical current for weight-only measurements.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
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Before the opening faceoff there was a tribute to Vancouver native Evander Kane, who returned to the lineup to play his 1,001st game after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misfiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misfiring. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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