backfire as a noun: - 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
as a verb: - 1
- 2
- 3
backfire
noun
1 backfire
The backward escape of gases and unburned gunpowder after a gun is fired.
synonym: blowback.
Roget 388a:
insulation,
incombustible material,
noncombustible material;
fire retardant,
flame retardant;
fire wall,
fire door.
incombustibility,
incombustibleness
etc.
adj..
extincteur [Fr.];
fire annihilator;
amianth†,
amianthus†;
earth-flax,
mountain-flax;
asbestos;
fireman,
fire fighter,
fire eater,
fire department,
fire brigade,
engine company;
pumper,
fire truck,
hook and ladder,
aerial ladder,
bucket;
fire hose,
fire hydrant.
[forest fires]
backfire,
firebreak,
trench;
aerial water bombardment.
wet blanket;
fire extinguisher,
soda and acid extinguisher,
dry chemical extinguisher,
CO-two extinguisher,
carbon tetrachloride,
foam;
sprinklers,
automatic sprinkler system;
fire bucket,
sand bucket.
[warning of fire]
fire alarm,
evacuation alarm,
[laws to prevent fire]
fire code,
fire regulations,
fire;
fire inspector;
code violation,
citation.
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2 backfire
A loud noise made by the explosion of fuel in the manifold or exhaust of an internal combustion engine.
3 backfire
A fire that is set intentionally in order to slow an approaching forest fire or grassfire by clearing a burned area in its path.
4 backfire
A miscalculation that recoils on its maker.
synonym: boomerang.
verb
1 backfire
Come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect:
— Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of trouble.
synonyms: backlash, recoil.
2 backfire
Emit a loud noise as a result of undergoing a backfire.
3 backfire
Set a controlled fire to halt an advancing forest to prairie fire.
Dutch: falen
Moby thesaurus: backlash, backlashing, balefire, bang, beacon, beacon fire, blast, blaze, blow out, blow up, blowout, blowup, bonfire, boom, boomerang, bounce, bounce back, bound, bound back, burning ghat, burst, bust, campfire, cannon, cannon off, carom, cheerful fire, combustion, come to grief, comeback, conflagration, contrecoup, corposant, counterattack, counterblast, counterblow, counterfire, counterinsurgency, countermeasure, counterrevolution, counterstep, counterstroke, cozy fire, crackling fire, crematory, death fire, defense, detonate, detonation, discharge, explode, explosion, fall through, fen fire, fire, fizzle, flame, flare, flash, flashing point, flicker, flickering flame, fly back, forest fire, fox fire, fulguration, fulminate, fulmination, funeral pyre, go off, have repercussions, ignis fatuus, ignition, ingle, kick, kick back, kickback, lambent flame, lash back, lay an egg, let off, marshfire, miscarry, miss, open fire, prairie fire, pyre, raging fire, rebound, rebuff, recalcitrate, recalcitration, recoil, repercuss, repercussion, report, repulse, resile, resilience, retort, ricochet, sea of flames, set off, sheet of fire, shoot, signal beacon, smudge fire, snap back, spring, spring back, three-alarm fire, touch off, two-alarm fire, watch fire, wildfire, witch fire ... show more.
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