fire

/fˈaɪɚ/ · 2 syllables

Meaning

verb

start firing a weapon
cause to go off
“fire a gun”
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”
go off or discharge
“The gun fired”
drive out or away by or as if by fire
“The soldiers were fired”
call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
“arouse pity”
destroy by fire
“They burned the house and his diaries”
provide with fuel
“Oil fires the furnace”
generate an electrical impulse
“the neurons fired fast”
become ignited
“The furnace wouldn't fire”
start or maintain a fire in
“fire the furnace”

noun

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”
the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
“fire was one of our ancestors' first discoveries”
a fireplace in which a relatively small fire is burning
“they sat by the fire and talked”
once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)
feelings of great warmth and intensity
“he spoke with great ardor”
fuel that is burning and is used as a means for cooking
“put the kettle on the fire”
a severe trial
“he went through fire and damnation”
intense adverse criticism
“Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party”

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