verb
misfire
MIHS-feye
verb
1
To fail to fire or ignite properly, as with a gun or an engine.
"The old rifle misfired twice before finally going off."
2
To fail to have the intended effect, especially of a joke, plan, or attempt.
"His attempt at humour misfired badly in front of the board."
noun
1
An instance of failing to fire, ignite, or achieve the intended result.
"The engine's misfire was traced to a faulty spark plug."
How to Use Misfire
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo fail to go off properly, or to fail to work as intended.
Common pairings
the engine misfired
the joke misfired
Word Forms
misfired past tense, misfires plural, misfires singular
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The old rifle _____ twice before finally going off.
Etymology
Either a fusion of the older phrase "miss fire" or a direct combination of mis- + fire.