fire meaning

Noun: fire fI(u)r [N. Amer], fIu(r) [Brit]

The event of something burning (often destructive)
"they lost everything in the fire"
The act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
"hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes"; "they retreated in the face of withering enemy fire"
- firing
The process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
"fire was one of our ancestors' first discoveries"
- flame, flaming
A fireplace in which a relatively small fire is burning
"they sat by the fire and talked"
Feelings of great warmth and intensity
- ardor [US], ardour [Brit, Cdn], fervor [US], fervour [Brit, Cdn], fervency, fervidness
Fuel that is burning and is used as a means for cooking
"put the kettle on the fire"; "barbecue over an open fire"
A severe trial
"he went through fire and damnation"
Intense adverse criticism
"Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"
- attack, flak, flack, blast
[archaic] Once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)

Verb: fire fI(u)r [N. Amer], fIu(r) [Brit]

Start firing a weapon
- open fire
Cause to go off
"fire a gun"; "fire a bullet"
- discharge
Bake in a kiln so as to harden
"fire pottery"
Terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
"The boss fired his secretary today"
- displace, give notice, can [N. Amer], dismiss, give the axe, send away, sack, force out, give the sack, terminate
Go off or discharge
"The gun fired"
- discharge, go off
Drive out or away by or as if by fire
"The soldiers were fired"; "Surrender fires the cold scepticism"
Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
- arouse, elicit, enkindle, kindle, evoke, raise, provoke
Destroy by fire
- burn, burn down
Provide with fuel
"Oil fires the furnace"
- fuel

Derived forms: fired, fires, firing

Type of: attack, bake, blast, burning, chase away, combustion, create, criticism, destroy, dispel, drive away, drive off, drive out, element, fireplace, fuel, furnish, happening, hearth, make, natural event, occurrence, occurrent, onrush, onset, onslaught, open fireplace, passion, passionateness, provide, remove, render, ruin, run off, shoot, spifflicate, spiflicate, supply, trial, tribulation, turn back, unfavorable judgment [US], unfavourable judgment [Brit, Cdn], visitation

Antonym: hire

Encyclopedia: Fire, Bed, & Bone Fire Fire, Bed, and Bone Fire, Ice and Dynamite Fire, the play Fire, Bed & Bone Fire, Bed and Bone

[American slang]
to shoot back at someone or something.
We fired about ten rounds back at them.
The soldiers in the fort did not fire back at the attackers.

[Business]
verb [+ obj]

(HR )

to force sb to leave their job:

'You're fired!'

She got fired from her first job for always being late.

Who is responsible for hiring and firing staff?

SYN SACK See note at DISMISS

PHRASAL VERBS

fire away (usually used in spoken English, informal)

used to tell sb to begin to speak or ask a question:

'Can I ask you a question?' 'Fire away!'

fire sth off

to write or say sth to sb very quickly, often when you are angry:

He fired off a letter of complaint.

if you fire off an email, you send it

fire sth up (informal)

to start a machine, piece of equipment, computer program, etc:

Let me just fire up my laptop.

[Defence]
(*) 1. The command given to discharge a weapon(s).
2. To detonate the main explosive charge by means of a firing system.
See also barrage fire; call fire; counterfire; counterpreparation fire; covering fire; destruction fire; direct fire; direct supporting fire; distributed fire; grazing fire; harassing fire; indirect fire; neutralization fire; observed fire; preparation fire; radar fire; registration fire; scheduled fire; searching fire; supporting fire; suppressive fire.

[Electronics]
A transition from non-conduction to conduction in an ionizing switching device.