fire
[noun]
Synonyms:
- flames, blaze, combustion, conflagration, inferno
- bombardment, barrage, cannonade, flak, fusillade, hail, salvo, shelling, sniping, volley
- passion, ardour, eagerness, enthusiasm, excitement, fervour, intensity, sparkle, spirit, verve, vigour
[verb]
Synonyms:
- shoot, detonate, discharge, explode, let off, pull the trigger, set off, shell
- inspire, animate, enliven, excite, galvanize, impassion, inflame, rouse, stir
- dismiss, cashier, discharge, make redundant, sack (informal), show the door

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Antonyms: daunt, hire
Contrasted words: languor, lassitude, lethargy, listlessness, stupor, torpidity, torpor, apathy, impassivity, phlegm, extinguish, quench, smother, appall, dismay, alarm, frighten, terrify, engage, appoint, designate, elect, name
Related Idioms: sea of flames, sheet of fire, set fire to, set on fire, give the pink slip, give the sack, strike off the rolls
Related Words: blaze, flame, flare, glare, burning, charring, scorching, searing, animation, exhilaration, liveliness, dash, drive, energy, ginger, gusto, heartiness, pep, punch, snap, spirit, starch, verve, vigor, vim, zest, zing, zip, arouse, enliven, rouse, stir, electrify, excite, heighten, intensify, enthuse, thrill, eject, expel, oust

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English Thesaurus: fire, sack/give somebody the sack, lay somebody off, make somebody redundant, let somebody go, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. fire¹ S1 W1 /faɪə $ faɪr/ noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: fyr]

1. FLAMES THAT DESTROY THINGS [uncountable and countable] uncontrolled flames, light, and heat that destroy and damage things:
The warehouse was completely destroyed by fire.
Thirty people died in a fire in downtown Chicago.
Police think that the fire was started deliberately.
Rioters set fire to a whole row of stores (=made them start burning).

2. FLAMES FOR HEATING/COOKING ETC [countable] burning material used to heat a room, cook food etc, or get rid of things you do not want:
You put up the tent and I’ll make a fire.
Can you help me light the fire?
The fire has almost gone out (=stopped burning).
They all sat around the camp fire, singing songs.
The fire was still smouldering in the grate (=there was a little smoke and it had almost stopped burning).
by the fire/in front of the fire
Come and sit by the fire.
They dried their clothes in front of an open fire.

3. HEATING EQUIPMENT [countable] British English a machine that produces heat to warm a room, using gas or electricity as power:
a gas fire
an electric fire
turn the fire on/off
Turn on the fire, I’m cold.
turn the fire up/down (=make it hotter or colder)

4. SHOOTING [uncountable] shots fired from a gun, especially many guns at the same time:
Troops opened fire on (=started shooting at) the demonstrators.
These women did vital work, often under enemy fire.
The rebels agreed to hold their fire (=not shoot). ⇒ be in the line of fire at line¹(35)

5. BE ATTACKED be/come under fire
a) to be severely criticized for something you have done – used in news reports:
Rail chiefs came under fire after raising train fares.
b) to be shot at
be/come under fire from
Our patrol came under fire from rooftop gunmen.

6. EMOTION [uncountable] a very strong emotion that makes you want to think about nothing else
fire of
the fire of religious fanaticism

7. fire in your belly a strong desire to achieve something:
Ali returned to boxing with a new fire in his belly.

8. SICK/INJURED be on fire literary a part of your body that is on fire feels very painful

9. light a fire under somebody American English spoken to do something that makes someone who is being lazy start doing their work

10. go through fire (and water) (for somebody) old-fashioned to do something very difficult and dangerous for someone

11. fire and brimstone a phrase describing Hell, used by some religious people
⇒ ceasefire, ⇒ add fuel to the fire/flames at add(9), ⇒ fight fire with fire at fight¹(18), ⇒ get on like a house on fire at house¹(13), ⇒ hang fire at hang¹(12), ⇒ play with fire at play¹(26), ⇒ set the world on fire at world¹(22), ⇒ there’s no smoke without fire at smoke¹(5)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. fire² S3 W3 verb

1. SHOOT [intransitive and transitive] to shoot bullets or bombs
fire at/on/into
Soldiers fired on the crowd.
fire something at somebody
The police fired two shots at the suspects before they surrendered.
fire a gun/weapon/rifle etc (=make it shoot)
the sound of a gun being fired
fire bullets/missiles/rockets etc
Guerrillas fired five rockets at the capital yesterday, killing 23 people.

2. JOB [transitive] to force someone to leave their job Synonym : sack British English
be/get fired
She didn’t want to get fired.
fire somebody from something
I’ve just been fired from my job, and I don’t know what to do.
fire somebody for something
The airline fired him for being drunk.

REGISTER
In written English, people usually say that someone is dismissed rather than fired, which is slightly informal:
He was dismissed for being drunk.

3. EXCITE [transitive] to make someone feel interested in something and excited about it Synonym : inspire
be fired with enthusiasm
I was fired with enthusiasm to go traveling in Asia.
fire sb’s enthusiasm/imagination
stories of magic and adventure that fire children’s imaginations

4. QUESTIONS fire questions at somebody to ask someone a lot of questions quickly, often in order to criticize them

5. wood-fired/gas-fired/coal-fired using wood, gas, or coal as fuel:
a gas-fired stove
a coal-fired boiler

6. CLAY [transitive] to bake bricks, clay pots etc in a kiln:
fired earthenware

7. ENGINE [intransitive] if a vehicle’s engine fires, the petrol is lit to make the engine work

8. be firing on all cylinders informal to be thinking or doing something well, using all your mental abilities and energy:
When the team’s firing on all cylinders, they can beat the best in the league.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

fire
noun
I. destructive flames
ADJ. big, huge | fierce | serious | disastrous | bush, forest, house
VERB + FIRE be on The house is on fire!
catch A lantern was knocked over and the barn caught fire.
cause, set sth on, start Groups of rioters attacked and set the police headquarters on fire.
fan Strong winds fanned the fire.
add fuel to, fuel (both figurative) Frustrated ambitions can fuel the fire of anger and resentment.
extinguish, put out | fight He joined the crowds of men and women fighting the fire.
contain, control Firefighters struggled to control the fire.
be damaged by/in, be destroyed by/in The factory was destroyed in a fire started by arsonists.
be killed by/in, die in
FIRE + VERB break out, start A fire broke out in the mail room.
go out | blaze, burn, rage The fire burnt for three days before it was finally contained.
spread, sweep through sth In 1925 a disastrous fire swept through the museum.
damage sth | destroy sth, gut sth The fire gutted the building, leaving just a charred shell.
FIRE + NOUN safety legislation open fire.
FIRE + VERB burn Although it was summer a fire burned in the great stone hearth.
kindle, light We had plenty of dry wood, so the fire lit easily.
die (down) The fire was beginning to die down.
burn (itself) out, go out | crackle | glow | smoke The fire smoked instead of burning properly.
PHRASES the glow from/of a fire The interior was only lit by the golden glow of the fire.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fire
III. apparatus for heating rooms
ADJ. electric, gas
VERB + FIRE light, switch on, turn on Use a match to light the gas fire.
switch off, turn off
FIRE + VERB be off/on Is the fire still on?

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fire
IV. shots from guns
ADJ. heavy | anti-aircraft, covering, friendly The commandos pushed forward under the covering fire of their artillery. Several soldiers were killed in friendly fire due a mistake by allied forces.
artillery, sniper | cannon, machine-gun, mortar, rifle
QUANT. burst a burst of machine-gun fire
VERB + FIRE open The troops opened fire on the crowd.
return related to fire safety
hazard, risk Foam-filled couches are a serious fire hazard.She returned fire from behind the | drill We have regular fire drills to ensure that the staff know how to evacuate the building.
alarm | brigade, department, service | station | engine | hydrant | hose | extinguisher | escape The thief got away down the fire escape.
door
PHRASES bring a fire under control Firefighters have now managed to bring the fire under control.
set fire to sth Someone had set fire to her car.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fire
II. burning fuel for cooking/heating
ADJ. blazing, crackling, hot, roaring, warm | dying, smouldering | little | open | charcoal, coal, log, oil, peat, wood
VERB + FIRE build, make | kindle, light Kim had managed to kindle a little fire of dry grass.
poke, stir, stoke (up) On cold nights we stoked up the fire to a blaze.
put sth on Put some more wood on the fire.
cook on/over When we go on safari we like to cook on an low wall.
cease, hold They were told to hold their fire until the enemy came closer.
be/come under We were under constant fire from enemy snipers. (figurative) The minister of transport came under fire (= was heavily criticized) for forcing increases in rail fares.
draw A few soldiers were sent out to draw (= attract) the enemy's fire.
PHRASES be in the line of fire Unfortunately he was in the line of fire (= between the people shooting and what they were shooting at) and got shot.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fire
verb
ADV. blindly, wildly She fired blindly into the mass of shadows.
wide Whitlock purposely fired wide.
back | off They fired off a volley of shots.
VERB + FIRE be ready to He grabbed the shotgun and levelled it, ready to fire if anyone entered.
order sb to He ordered the troops to fire over the heads of the crowd.
PREP. at She fired a revolver at her attacker.
into He fired the gun into the air.
on/upon The police fired on protesters in the city centre.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fire

start a fire
The fire may have been started by a cigarette.
set fire to something/set something on fire (=make something start burning)
A candle fell over, setting fire to the curtains.
something catches fire (=it starts burning)
The boat caught fire and sank.
put out a fire (also extinguish a fire formal) (=stop a fire burning)
Firemen successfully extinguished the fire.
fight a fire (=try to make a fire stop burning)
Further attempts to fight the fire were abandoned.
a fire burns
The fire was burning more strongly every minute.
a fire breaks out (=it starts suddenly)
A fire broke out in the engine room.
a fire goes out (=it stops burning)
After several hours, the fire eventually went out.
a fire rages/blazes (=it burns strongly for a long time over a large area)
Fires were raging in the forest near Magleby.
a fire spreads
The fire spread to the house next door.
something is damaged/destroyed by fire
The school was badly damaged by fire.
be on fire (=be burning)
The whole house was on fire within minutes.
bring a fire under control
Firefighters took more than an hour to bring the fire under control.
a big/major fire
A big fire was raging at the fuel depot.
a forest fire (=a very large fire in a forest)
Greece has suffered many forest fires this year.
a brush fire (=a very large fire in an area of grass)
There were frequent brush fires during the hot dry summers.
a house fire (=a fire that starts inside a house)
Faulty electrical wiring is being blamed for a house fire.
make/build a fire
He found wood to make a fire.
start/light a fire
It was too damp to light a fire.
put something on the fire
Put another log on the fire.
cook something over a fire
They cooked strips of meat over a wood fire.
a fire smoulders (=a little smoke comes from a fire when it has almost gone out)
The fire was smouldering in the grate.
a fire dies down (=it burns less strongly)
The fire slowly died down.
an open fire (=a fire in a room that is not inside a stove etc)
Sophie warmed herself by the open fire.
a roaring fire (=a fire that is burning strongly)
I sat by the roaring fire and dried off.
a camp fire (=a fire that you make outside when you are camping)
In the evening we sat around the camp fire.
a coal/wood/log fire
There was a coal fire in the sitting room.
a gas fire
She lit the gas fire and settled in front of the TV.
a real fire (=one that burns wood or coal)
There was a real fire blazing in the fireplace.
the embers of a fire (=pieces of wood, coal etc that have almost been completely burned)
He stared at the glowing embers of the fire.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fire
noun
1.
BAD: If there is a gas leak, the house could go on fire.
GOOD: If there is a gas leak, the house could catch fire.
BAD: One of the curtains became on fire.
GOOD: One of the curtains caught fire.

Usage Note:
catch fire : 'One of the engines had overheated and caught fire.'

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2.
BAD: Eventually, the fire went off and the room got colder.
GOOD: Eventually, the fire went out and the room got colder.

Usage Note:
go out = (of a coal fire, cigarette, candle etc) stop burning: 'The problem with cigars is that they keep going out.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

fire (also dismiss formal) to make someone leave their job, especially because they have done something wrong:
He was fired for surfing the Internet during work time.
Harris was caught stealing, and was dismissed from his job.
sack/give somebody the sack British English informal to make someone leave their job, especially because they are not good at it, or because they have done something wrong:
Bates was sacked from his job after the team failed to win any games.
His boss gave him the sack for taking too much time off work.
lay somebody off to make a lot of workers, especially workers in a large factory or organization, leave their jobs, because there is not enough work for them to do, or not enough money to pay their wages:
3000 car workers have been laid off at the factory in Cleveland.
make somebody redundant British English to make someone leave their job because they are no longer needed:
5 staff will be made redundant at the end of this month.
let somebody go to make someone leave their job, Used by employers to avoid saying directly that they are getting rid of people:
We’ve had to let two members of staff go.
discharge to make someone leave their job in the army, air force etc:
Grant had been discharged from the navy for threatening an officer.
ease somebody out to make someone leave their job in a way that makes it seem as if they have chosen to leave:
He had been eased out of office in an attempt to prevent a political crisis.
relieve somebody of their post/position formal to make someone leave their job because they have done something wrong. Used especially to avoid saying this directly, and also when the job is a powerful one:
The colonel and two other senior officers were relieved of their posts.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

fire flames that burn in an uncontrolled way and destroy or damage things:
In April, a fire at the school destroyed the science block.
a forest fire
flames the bright parts of a fire that you see burning in the air:
The flames from the burning building were lighting up the night sky.
blaze written a large and dangerous fire – used especially in news reports:
Firemen fought to keep the blaze under control.
inferno written an extremely large and dangerous fire which is out of control – used especially in news reports:
The entire building was on fire and hundreds of people were trapped in the inferno.
conflagration /ˌkɒnfləˈɡreɪʃən $ ˌkɑːn-/ formal a very large fire that destroys a lot of buildings, trees etc:
The conflagration spread rapidly through the old town.
sack/give somebody the sack British English informal to make someone leave their job, especially because they are not good at it, or because they have done something wrong:
Bates was sacked from his job after the team failed to win any games.
His boss gave him the sack for taking too much time off work.
lay somebody off to make a lot of workers, especially workers in a large factory or organization, leave their jobs, because there is not enough work for them to do, or not enough money to pay their wages:
3000 car workers have been laid off at the factory in Cleveland.
make somebody redundant British English to make someone leave their job because they are no longer needed:
5 staff will be made redundant at the end of this month.
let somebody go to make someone leave their job, Used by employers to avoid saying directly that they are getting rid of people:
We’ve had to let two members of staff go.
discharge to make someone leave their job in the army, air force etc:
Grant had been discharged from the navy for threatening an officer.
ease somebody out to make someone leave their job in a way that makes it seem as if they have chosen to leave:
He had been eased out of office in an attempt to prevent a political crisis.
relieve somebody of their post/position formal to make someone leave their job because they have done something wrong. Used especially to avoid saying this directly, and also when the job is a powerful one:
The colonel and two other senior officers were relieved of their posts.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

shoot verb [intransitive and transitive] to use a gun to fire bullets, or to kill or injure someone using a gun:
He ordered his men to stop shooting.
The guards shot the man as he was trying to escape.
President Kennedy was shot by a lone gunman.
fire verb [intransitive and transitive] to shoot bullets from a gun, or send an explosive object towards someone or something:
Soldiers fired into the crowd.
Helicopters fired rockets at several buildings.
He regained his balance, took aim, and fired.
The police fired into the air to make the crowd break up.
As soon as we crossed the border, enemy troops started firing at us.
Kendrick fired three shots at the President’s car.
Suddenly the car stopped, and the passenger got out and fired a Kalashnikov rifle at the police car.
launch verb [transitive] to send a large rocket or missile into the air:
American warships launched cruise missiles.
The guerrillas launched their rockets from densely populated towns.
open fire to start shooting:
Nineteen students were injured after a gunman opened fire.
Troops opened fire on a group of unarmed demonstrators.
The colonel gave the order for the soldiers to open fire.
shell verb [transitive] to fire shells (=metal containers filled with an explosive substance) at enemy soldiers, cities etc in a war, using large guns:
Border towns have been shelled by enemy aircraft for the past two months.
British warships began shelling German positions along the coast.
bombard verb [transitive] to attack a place for a long time with shells or bombs:
Allied forces bombarded the coast prior to the invasion.
Troops bombarded the area with shells.
The allied forces bombarded the enemy trenches for weeks.
Cromwell’s men had been bombarding the fort with their artillery for several days.
take a potshot at somebody/something to shoot at someone or something without aiming very carefully:
Someone tried to take a potshot at him, but hit the man behind instead.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

fire
ˈfaɪə
See: ball of fire , between the devil and the deep blue sea or between two fires , build a fire under , burnt child dreads the fire , catch fire , draw fire , fat's in the fire , fight fire with fire , hang fire , heap coals of fire on one's head , hold one's fire or hold fire , iron in the fire , keep the home fires burning , line of fire , on fire , open fire , out of the frying pan into the fire , play with fire , pull one's chestnuts out of the fire , set fire to , set the world on fire , till the last gun is fired or until the last gun is fired , under fire

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲