fire 1 of 2

noun

ˈfī(-ə)r How to pronounce fire (audio)
Definition of firenext
1
as in inferno
a destructive burning a number of suspicious fires in the neighborhood recently

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in intensity
depth of feeling had she the fire in her heart that a run for the White House requires?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ordeal
a test of faith, patience, or strength asked to be sent to the front lines, as he was eager to prove himself in the fire of battle

Synonyms & Similar Words

fire

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to shoot
to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force police officers firing rubber bullets

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to blast
to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force soldiers fired at the enemy in panic-stricken disorder

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to stimulate
to give life, vigor, or spirit to a school outing to the natural history museum fired his imagination, and he grew up to become an eminent paleontologist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to sack
to let go from office, service, or employment fired the secretary for incompetence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to throw
to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm fired a pass to the running back

Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in to burn
to set (something) on fire lit some kindling before attempting to fire the logs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fire
Noun
When firefighters arrived, the fire was spreading quickly among the SUVs. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2026 Apollo 7 rebooted the Apollo program after a fire killed three astronauts during a launch rehearsal 20 months earlier. — Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Verb
No additional shots were fired after police arrived, Lorah said, adding that sounds later mistaken for gunfire came from flash-bang devices used by SWAT officers. — Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Making Hinds’ loss more intense and emotionally complicated was that the band had just fired him from Mastodon five months earlier. — Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fire
  1. inferno
  2. intensity
  3. ordeal
  4. shoot
  5. blast
  6. stimulate
  7. sack
  8. throw
Noun
  • Four cars and two storage containers were damaged by the inferno, the fire department said.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The crew use three tiers of flame bars behind Howell to spark the inferno that will snake through prom, fueled by the growing intensity of Carrie’s powers.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of inferno
Noun
  • Lee remembers the intensity with which Carleton wanted to be involved in that kind of work.
    — Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • There is another band from the ’70s who in their own way are seen as the pinnacle of technical intensity, which is Steely Dan, who Jeff played with.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of intensity
Noun
  • That entire ordeal is presented in detail, a backstage drama in miniature that treats the boardroom soap opera as the last chance to keep Pandora’s box shut.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Machchhar appeared emotional in the call with Modi while recalling the ordeal, and apologized to the prime minister for crying on the phone.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of ordeal
Verb
  • Smith only realized the error four months ago, when the album campaign was shot and everything was in motion.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Thompson scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting on threes in the first half.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of shoot
Verb
  • Mecklenburg County commissioners blasted Discovery Place over its handling of county money for its nature museum Tuesday and threatened to take control of the museum’s operations and hold Discovery Place in default for millions.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026
  • But that isn't all; matter that isn't feasted upon is channeled to the poles of the black hole, from where it is blasted out as twin jets of plasma moving at near-light speed.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of blast
Verb
  • Eco effort Explora is a Certified B (or B Corp) company that works to address climate change, stimulate the local workforce, and provide benefits to the community by sourcing most of its products locally.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The treatments also lowered the production of inflammatory signals that cause long-term swelling, and stimulated new blood vessel formation to nourish healing skin.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of stimulate
Verb
  • On the next play, Bolden sacked Russell and thwarted the Crimson Tide’s chances of kicking a game-tying field goal.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Herbert was sacked five times with a fumble and an interception.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of sack
Verb
  • The people-watching can be just as good as the art, as creative types from around the city come here to find inspiration—especially during the summer months, when the museum throws its popular experimental music parties called Warm Up.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
  • As Earth faces an overwhelming alien threat, these young aviators are thrown into relentless combat that tests their loyalty, courage and faith in one another.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of throw

Phrases Containing fire

Browse Nearby Words

fins
fire
fire and brimstone
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fire. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on fire

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fire

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All