noun | verb
firefire1 /faɪɚ/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1
FLAMES THAT DESTROY [countable, uncountable] the flames, light, and heat produced when something burns, especially in an uncontrolled way: The incredible heat of the fire melted the glass windows. The building was destroyed by fire. The fire quickly spread across the valley because of the wind.on fire The house is on fire (=burning)! One of the plane’s engines had caught fire (=started to burn). A spark from the fireplace set the curtains on fire (=made them start to burn). Rioters set fire to a whole row of stores (=made it start to burn). Police believe the fire in the store was started deliberately. A fire broke out in the apartment around 2 a.m. It took firemen several hours to put out the fire (=stop it burning). Lightning increases the possibility of forest fires.THESAURUSflame – the bright burning gas that you see coming from a fire: Flames were coming out of the upstairs windows. The candle flames flickered with an orange light.spark – a very small bright piece of burning material that comes from a fire: The fire crackled and shot sparks into the air.blaze – a big fire that spreads and is difficult to control. Used especially in writing and news reports: Firefighters struggled to control the blaze.inferno – a very big, hot fire that destroys everything. Used especially in writing: The building was an inferno – nobody could have escaped.conflagration formal – a very large fire over a large area that destroys a lot of buildings, forests, etc.: The conflagration destroyed half the city.bonfire – a large outdoor fire made especially to celebrate something: On graduation night, we built a big bonfire on the beach.campfire – a fire made outdoors by people who are camping: They sat around the campfire, singing songs.wildfire – a fire that moves quickly through a forest or natural area, and that is difficult to control: Wildfires were burning in the mountains near Los Angeles.2flames for heating/cooking etc. [countable] burning material, such as wood, coal, etc., used to heat a room, cook food, etc.: He put another log on the fire. Matt built a fire to dry his wet clothes (=made one). There was a roaring fire in the fireplace. We roasted marshmallows over the open fire. She curled up in an armchair by the fire.3SHOOTING [uncountable] shots coming from a gun, especially from many guns at the same time: Soldiers opened fire as soon as the enemy came within range (=started shooting). The soldier’s injury was due to friendly fire (=shots fired by his own side). Hold your fire (=stop shooting)!4EMOTION [uncountable] a very strong emotion that makes you want to think about nothing else: fire of The fire of his enthusiasm is inspiring.5be/come under fire a)to be criticized very strongly: Campbell came under fire for his handling of the negotiations. b)be shot at: The truck came under fire from snipers.6a fire in your belly informal a strong desire to achieve something7be on fire a part of your body that is on fire feels very painful: My feet were on fire after the trek up the mountain.8set the world on fire to have a big effect or be very successful: His last movie didn’t exactly set the world on fire.9light a fire under somebody spoken to do something that makes someone who is being lazy start doing his or her work10fire and brimstone a phrase describing Hell, used by some religious people[Origin: Old English fyr] → see also ceasefire, fight fire with fire at fight1 (12), do something like a house on fire at house1 (11), be in the line of fire at line1 (34), play with fire at play1 (23), where there’s smoke there’s fire at smoke1 (6)COLLOCATIONSverbsstart a fire The fire may have been started by a cigarette.set a fire (=deliberately start a fire) Investigators have not determined who set the fire.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 from 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 starts/a fire breaks out 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 nearby.a fire spreads The fire spread to the house next door.a fire kills somebody The fire killed eight residents of the building.something is damaged/destroyed by fire The school was badly damaged by fire.adjectives/nouns + firea big/major fire A big fire was raging at the apartment complex.a forest fire (=a very large fire in a forest) Western states have suffered many forest fires this year.a brush fire (=a fire in grassy areas) There were several brush fires in the hills above Los Angeles.a wild fire/wildfire (=a large fire in a natural area that spreads quickly) The helicopters are used to battle wildfires in mountainous areas.a house fire (=a fire that starts inside a house) Faulty electrical wiring is being blamed for a house fire.fire + nounsthe fire department (=the organization that works to stop fires) I called the fire department as soon as I smelled smoke.a fire fighter/firefighter (=someone whose job is to stop fires from burning) Firefighters worked through the night to put out the fire.a fire station (=a building where firefighters stay) The truck left the fire station with its siren going.a fire engine/truck (=a truck that firefighters use) There was a big ladder on the side of the fire truck.a fire alarm (=a piece of equipment that makes a loud noise to warn people when there is a fire) Someone pulled the fire alarm and we all had to leave the building.a fire extinguisher (=a metal container with water or chemicals in it, used for stopping small fires) It’s a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.a fire hydrant (=a piece of equipment near a street that firefighters get water from) You can’t park next to a fire hydrant.fire hoses (=large hoses used to put out fires) Firefighters aimed the fire hoses at the upstairs windows.a fire escape (=metal stairs outside a building to use in case of fire) The family had to climb out the window and down the fire escape.a fire hazard (=something that could easily start burning) The electrical wires are old and pose a fire hazard.a fire drill (=an occasion when people practice escaping from a fire) The school holds a fire drill twice a year. noun | verb
firefire2 ●●○ S3 W3 verb 1JOB [transitive] to force someone to leave his or her job SYN dismiss: Are you going to fire him?fire somebody for something The airline fired him for being drunk on duty.fire somebody from something She was fired from her job when she got pregnant. Brad got fired last week.2SHOOT [intransitive, transitive] to shoot bullets from a gun, or to shoot small bombs: He aimed and fired.fire at/on/into Several missiles were fired at the army base.fire a gun/rifle/weapon etc. the sound of a gun being firedfire something at somebody The police officer fired two shots at the suspects before they surrendered.3QUESTIONS [transitive] to ask someone a lot of questions quickly, often in order to criticize him or her: fire something at somebody Dozens of reporters fired non-stop questions at him.4EXCITE [transitive] (also fire up) to make someone feel very excited or interested in something SYN inspire: be fired with something kids fired with an enthusiasm for learning stories that fire children’s imaginations5ENGINE [intransitive] if a vehicle’s engine fires, the gas is lit to make the engine work6CLAY [transitive] to bake clay pots, etc. in very high heat in a kiln: fired earthenware7not firing on all cylinders humorous acting strangely, or not thinking sensibly8be firing on all cylinders informal to be thinking or doing something wellfire away phrasal verb spoken used to tell someone that you are ready to answer questions: “I have a few questions.” “Fire away.”fire back something phrasal verb to quickly and angrily answer a question or remark: “This is dirty politics,” he fired back.fire something ↔ off phrasal verb1to shoot a weapon, often so that there are no bullets, etc. left: People were firing off pistols in New Year’s Eve celebrations.2to quickly send an angry letter to someone: She fired off a heated memo to her boss.fire something/somebody ↔ up phrasal verb informal1to start a machine or piece of equipment, especially one that burns gas: Dad fired up the grill.2to make someone very excited and eager: a speech meant to fire up the players Kelly came home all fired up.