back·fire
ˈbak-ˌfī(-ə)r 
backfired; backfiring; backfires
1
: to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
their plans backfired
2
: to make or undergo a backfire
1
: a loud noise caused by the improperly timed explosion of fuel mixture in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine
2
: a fire started to check an advancing fire by clearing an area
Synonyms
Examples of backfire in a Sentence
Verb
my plan to throw her a surprise party backfired when she ended up thinking that everyone had forgotten her birthday
Recent Examples on the Web
Angel Diaz, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2024
The pricing strategies that once fueled significant growth are now backfiring, forcing midsize consumer products companies to rethink their approach before falling behind in an increasingly competitive landscape.
—Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
This means a company that adopts a fully in-office policy team could see the plan backfire, according to Nick Bloom, a professor of economics at Stanford University who studies workplace trends.
—Jolie Myers, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Verb
That plan backfired, though, as the Tupac Shakur estate threatened to sue, forcing the Toronto rapper to take the song down.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2024
The pricing strategies that once fueled significant growth are now backfiring, forcing midsize consumer products companies to rethink their approach before falling behind in an increasingly competitive landscape.
—Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
In this scenario, any effort by the United States to exploit tensions between China and North Korea backfire.
—Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
This means a company that adopts a fully in-office policy team could see the plan backfire, according to Nick Bloom, a professor of economics at Stanford University who studies workplace trends.
—Jolie Myers, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See all Example Sentences for backfire
Dictionary Entries Near backfire
Cite this Entry
“Backfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backfire. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
backfire
1 of 2 noun
back·fire
-ˌfī(ə)r
1
: a fire that is set to check the spread of a forest fire or a grass fire by burning off a strip of land ahead of it
2
: a loud noise caused by the improperly timed explosion of fuel in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine
backfire
2 of 2 verb1
: to make a backfire
2
: to have a result opposite to what was planned
their plans backfired
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