fire meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

fire

noun

UK /ˈfaɪ.ə/ · US /ˈfaɪ.ɚ/

Etymology

From Middle English fyr, from Old English fȳr (“fire”), from Proto-West Germanic *fuir, from *fuïr, a regularised form of Proto-Germanic *fōr (“fire”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥. Cognates See also Scots feier, fyre (“fire”), Yola vier, vire (“fire”), Saterland Frisian Fjuur, Fjúur (“fire”), West Frisian fjoer (“fire”), Alemannic German Füür (“fire”), Bavarian Feia (“fire”), Central Franconian Fauer, Feier, Füür (“fire”), Cimbrian bôar, vaür, vôar (“fire”), Dutch vier, vuur (“fire”), German Feuer (“fire”), German Low German Füer, Füür (“fire”), Luxembourgish Feier (“fire”), Mòcheno vaier (“fire”), Vilamovian faojer (“fire”), West Flemish vier (“fire”), Yiddish פֿײַער (fayer, “fire”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish fyr (“fire”), Icelandic funi (“fire”), Gothic 𐍆𐍉𐌽 (fōn, “fire”). Also, compare Armenian հուր (hur, “fire”), Greek πυρ (pyr, “fire”), Latin pūrgō (“to clean, cleanse, clear, purge, purify”), Umbrian 𐌐𐌉𐌓 (pir, “fire”), Bulgarian фир (fir, “ooze, pickle, soak”), Polish perz (“smoke”), Hittite 𒉺𒄴𒄯 (paḫḫur, “fire”), Luwian 𒉺𒀀𒄷𒌋𒌨 (pāhūr, “fire”), Tocharian A/B por/puwar (“fire”). This was an inanimate noun whose animate counterpart was Proto-Indo-European *h₁n̥gʷnis (see ignite). Cognate to pyre.

17 senses

1A (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving…
2An instance of this chemical reaction, especially when…
3The occurrence, often accidental, of fire in a certain…
4The aforementioned chemical reaction of burning…
5A heater or stove used in place of a real fire (such as…
6The elements necessary to start a fire.
7The bullets or other projectiles fired from a gun or…
8A planned bombardment by artillery or similar weapons…
9A firearm.
10A barrage, volley
11An instance of firing one or more rocket engines.
12Strength of passion, whether love or hate.
13Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and…
14Splendour; brilliancy; lustre; hence, a star.
15A severe trial; anything inflaming or provoking.
16Red coloration in a piece of opal.
17The capacity of a gemstone, especially a faceted, cut…

A (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon or other fuel, with the production of heat and the presence of flame or smouldering.

An instance of this chemical reaction, especially when intentionally created and maintained in a specific location to a useful end (such as a campfire or a hearth fire).

We sat about the fire singing songs and telling tales.
We toted in the wood and got the fire going nice and comfortable. Lord James still set in one of the chairs and Applegate had cabbaged the other and was hugging the stove.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

The occurrence, often accidental, of fire in a certain place, causing damage and danger.

There was a fire at the school last night and the whole place burned down.
During hot and dry summers many fires in forests are caused by regardlessly discarded cigarette butts.

1 more example

Efforts to fight the fires in New South Wales and Victoria were hampered as large fires converged and created their own violent weather systems. The fire created dry lightning storms so severe that planes had to be grounded.2020 January 1, Bernard Lagan, “Thousands flee to beaches as the flames close in”, in The Times, number 73,044, page 24:

Alchemy, Human sciences, Philosophy, Pseudoscience, Sciences The aforementioned chemical reaction of burning, considered one of the Classical elements or basic elements of alchemy.

UK A heater or stove used in place of a real fire (such as an electric fire).

The elements necessary to start a fire.

The fire was laid and needed to be lit.

The bullets or other projectiles fired from a gun or other ranged weapon.

The fire from the enemy guns kept us from attacking.

A planned bombardment by artillery or similar weapons, or the capability to deliver such.

We dominated the battlespace with our fires.

Slang A firearm.

African-American Vernacular

I used to work at Five Below but now I keep that fire below2023 June 23, “Special K” (track 7), in BLP Kosher (lyrics), Bars Mitzva, 2:01:

Figuratively A barrage, volley

In the district of Erfurt a very heavy sheaf [...] is called the Great Mother, and is carried on the last waggon to the barn, where all hands lift it down amid a fire of jokes.1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 7, page 136:

Aerospace, Astronautics, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences An instance of firing one or more rocket engines.

static fire

Strength of passion, whether love or hate.

He had fire in his temper.1687, Francis Atterbury, An Answer to Some Considerations on the Spirit of Martin Luther and the Original of the Reformation; […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [Sheldonian] Theater, →OCLC:
You call it hope—that fire of fire! It is but agony of desire: […]1829, Edgar Allan Poe, “Tamerlane”, in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems:

Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral enthusiasm.

And bless their critic with a poet's fire.1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC:
Attendance of QN meetings has been dwindling, and the creative fire drained from the organization by the dead hand of wannabe bureaucrats bend ^([sic]) on thought control. The action has long since been elsewhere.1991 December 15, Michael Halberstadt, “Queer Proposals?”, in Gay Community News, volume 19, number 22, page 5:

Splendour; brilliancy; lustre; hence, a star.

Stars, hide your fires.c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:
As in a zodiac representing the heavenly fires.1667, John Milton, “Book XII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

A severe trial; anything inflaming or provoking.

Red coloration in a piece of opal.

Gemology, Geography, Geology, Jewelry, Lifestyle, Natural sciences The capacity of a gemstone, especially a faceted, cut gemstone, that is transparent to visible light, to disperse white light into its multispectral component parts, resulting in a flash of different colors, the richness and dispersion of which increases the gemstone's value.

In other words, the more times a light ray reflects within a diamond, the greater the separation of the spectral colors—and the more obvious the appearance of fire—will be. Fire in a gemstone is best defined as "the visible extent of light dispersed into spectral colors" (Reinitz et al., 2001). In a polished diamond, this is seen as flares or flashes of color that appear and disappear as the diamond, the observer, or the light source moves.2009 December, Al Gilbertson, Benjamin Gudlewski, Mary Johnson, George Maltezos, Axel Scherer, James Shigley, “Cutting Diffraction Gratings to Improve Dispersion (“Fire”) in Diamonds”, in Gems & Gemology, volume 45, number 4, Gemological Institute of America, →DOI, archived from the original on 30 Jul 2024, pages 260–270:

Synonyms: blaze, flame, conflagration, inferno
Derived terms: 640 terms
a burnt child dreads the fire, add fuel to fire, add fuel to the fire, afire, all-fire, antifire, anti-fire, autofire, back fire, balefire, ball of fire, baptism by fire, baptism of fire, Bengal fire, bin fire, black imported fire ant, blue fire, bone-fire, bone fire, bonfire, breathe fire, brush fire, brush-fire, brushfire, build a fire under, bumpfire, bump fire, bump-fire, bush fire, bushfire, Byzantine fire, call the fire department, campfire, camp fire, catch fire, catch on fire, ceasefire, cease fire, cease-fire, centerfire, central fire, chimney fire, chimpanzee fire, Chinese fire drill, climate fire, co-fire, cold fire, contagious fire, cookfire, counterfire, covering fire, crossfire, crown fire, death-fire, Devil's Broom fire, die in a fire, direct fire, dragonfire, draw fire, dropping fire, drumfire, dry-fire, dry fire, dumpster fire, electric fire, Elmo's fire, enfire, escape fire, exchange of fire, fairy fire, false fire, fan the fire, feed the fire, fen fire, field of fire, fiery, fight fire with fire, firable, fireable, fire air, fire alarm, fire alarm horn, fire and brimstone, fire and forget, fire ant, fire appliance, firearm, fire arm, fire arrow, fire away, fire ax, fire axe, fireback, fireball, fire balloon, firebar, fire barn, firebase, fire basket, firebath, fire-bath, firebathe, fire bay, fire beater, fire beetle, fire bell, firebell, fire-bellied, fire-bellied newt, fire bellied toad, fire-bellied toad, firebelly, fire bike, firebird, fire blanket, fire blanks, fire blast, fireblast, fire blight, fire blindness, fire block, fireboard, fire-board, fire board, fireboat, firebolt, firebomb, fire boss, firebote, fire-bote, fire box, firebox, fireboy, firebrand, firebrass, firebrat, fire break, firebreak, fire-breather, firebreather, fire breathing, fire-breathing, firebreathing, fire brick, firebrick, fire brigade, fire bucket, fire-bucket, firebug, fire button, fire cabinet, firecall, fire camp, firecan, fire-capped tit, fire cart, fire chicken, fire chief, fire cider, fire clay, fireclay, fire cloud, firecock, fire code, fire company, fire controlman, fire coral, firecracker, firecraft, firecrest, fire crotch, fire-crotch, firecrown, fire cupping, fire-cure, firedamp, fire damper, firedamper, fire dancer, fire department, fire devil, fire-devil, firedevil, fire diamond, fire dog, fire dogs, fire door, firedoor, firedragon, firedrake, fire drill, firee, fire-eater, fireeater, fire eater, fire eating, fire eel, fire engine, fire engine red, fire escape, fire-escape knot, fire exit, fire extinguisher, fire-eye, fire-eyed diucon, firefall, firefan, fire fan, fire-fang, fire-fanged, fire fighter, firefighter, firefight, fire-fight, fire fighting, firefighting, firefinch, fire finder, firefish, fire flapper, firefloat, firefly, fire-fly, fireform, fire fountain, Firefox, firefront, fire-fronted bishop, fire gilding, fire-gilding, fire gilt, fire-gown, fire-grate, firegrate, fire grate, fire grenade, fireground, fire grouse, fireguard, fire guard, fire hall, firehall, fire hawk, fire hazard, firehole, firehook, fire hose, firehot, firehouse, fire house, fire hydrant, fire ice, fire in one's belly, fire inspection, fire inspector, fire insurance, fire in the belly, fire in the hole, fire iron, firekeeper, fire lance, fireland, Fireland, fire lane, fireless, firelet, firelight, firelighter, firelighting, firelike, fire lily, fireline, firelit, fire load, firelock, firelog, fire lookout tower, fire machine, fire main, firemaker, firemaking, fireman, fire marble, fire mark, fire marshal, fire marshall, firemaster, fire mission, fire moss, fire mountain, firenado, fireness, fire-new, fire obsidian, fire officer, fire on all cylinders, fire-on-the-mountain, fire opal, fire out, fire pan, firepan, fire people, fireperson, fire philosopher, fire pike, firepink, fire piston, firepit, fire pit, fire-place, fireplace, fire plant, fireplay, fire-plough, fireplug, fire point, fire pole, firepole, fire police, firepot, firepower, fire-power, fire practice, fire-proof, fireproof, firer, fire raft, fire rainbow, fireraiser, fire-raiser, fireraising, fire-raising, fire rake, fire regime, fire-resistant, fire retardant, fire-retardant, fire-retarded, fire ring, fireroad, fire roll, fireroom, firesafe, fire safety, fire salamander, fire-sale, fire sale, firesand, fire saw, fire scar, fire science, firescorched, firescreen, fire screen, fire service, fireset, firesetter, firesetting, fireshine, fire ship, fireship, fire shirt, fire shovel hat, fireside, fire-side, fire sign, fire site, firesmoke, firesome, fire spear, fire sprinkler, fire stairs, fire starter, fire-starter, firestarter, fire station, firesteel, fire step, fire-stick, firestick, fire-stick farming, firestink, firestone, fire-stop, firestop, fire stop, firestorm, fire-storm, fire storm, firestriker, fire striker, firesuit, fire swab, fire swatter, fire system, fire table, firetail, fireteam, fire teaser, fire temple, firetender, firetending, fire tetrahedron, firethorn, firethroat, fire tongs, Firetop, fire tower, fire tower stairway, fire train, firetrap, fire trench, fire triangle, firetruck, fire truck, firetube, firewagon, firewalk, fire walker, firewall, fireward, firewarden, fire watch, firewatcher, firewater, fireweed, firewheel, fire whirl, fire-whirl, firewhirl, firewire, firewise, firewoman, firewood, firework, fireworker, fireworks, fireworm, fire worship, fire-worship, fire-worshipper, fireworthy, firey, firie, firy, fiya, flashfire, forest fire, foxfire, fox fire, fox-fire, free-fire, fresh fucked fox in a forest fire, friendly fire, frontfire, garbage fire, gas fire, get on like a house on fire, gigafire, go on fire, go through fire and water, grassfire, grass fire, grazing fire, great balls of fire, Grecian fire, Greek fire, green fire, groundfire, gunfire, hair-on-fire, headfire, heap coals of fire on someone's head, heap coals on fire, hellfire, hell fire bean, hell's fire anemone, hill fire, hold fire, hold one's fire, holdover fire, hold someone's feet to the fire, holy fire, hot as fire, housefire, Indian fire, indirect fire, insurance fire, irons in the fire, I wouldn't piss on someone if they were on fire, Kentish fire, kill it with fire, kindle-coal, kindle-fire, lake of fire, last burst of fire, liar liar pants on fire, light a fire under, light one's hair on fire, light someone's fire, line of fire, Lob-lie-by-the-fire, Lob Lie-by-the-fire, megafire, misfire, miss fire, need-fire, nightfire, nonfire, no smoke without fire, oblique fire, on fire, open fire, ordeal of fire, outfire, out of the frying pan and into the fire, overwintering fire, palaeofire, paleofire, pants on fire, philosopher by fire, philosopher of fire, pillar of fire, pinfire, play with fire, Polish fire drill, postfire, pour fuel on the fire, pour gasoline on the fire, pre-fire, prefire, primary fire, project fire, Promethean fire, pull from the fire, pull out of the fire, pull someone's bacon out of the fire, pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire, pull someone's fat out of the fire, pull the fat out of the fire, pull the fire alarm, put one's finger in the fire, put out a fire, put out the fire, quick-fire, rain fire and brimstone, raking fire, rapid fire pistol, rapid-fire, rapid fire, real fire, red fire, red imported fire ant, rediscover fire, refire, retrofire, return fire, rimfire, run around with one's hair on fire, running fire, Saint Anthony's fire, Saint Elmo's fire, scarefire, scathefire, sea-fire, secondary fire, selective fire, set fire, set fire by, set fire in, set fire into, set fire of, set fire on, set fire to, set fire unto, set fire upon, set one's hair on fire, set on fire, set the heather on fire, set the Thames on fire, set the world on fire, shellfire, shitfire, shit fire, shit fire and save matches, shout fire in a crowded theater, shouting fire in a crowded theater, signal fire, sit-by-the-fire, spellfire, spit-fire, spitfire, spit fire, spot fire, stand fire, St Anthony's fire, St. Anthony's fire, static-fire, static fire, St. Elmo's fire, St Elmo's fire, strikefire, St. Ulmo's fire, sure-fire, take fire, testfire, test-fire, the burnt child dreads the fire, the burnt child fears the fire, the fat hit the fire, the fat is in the fire, there may be snow on the mountaintop but there's fire in the valley, there may be snow on the rooftop but there is fire in the furnace, there's no smoke without fire, throw gasoline on the fire, throw gas on the fire, thunder fire, tire-fire, tire fire, trash fire, trashfire, trial by fire, Trumpster fire, twitch fire, under fire, unfire, upside-down fire, veldfire, walking fire, watchfire, water fire, where's the fire, wildfire, will-fire, witch's fire, woodfire, you don't look at the mantelpiece when you poke the fire, you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire, zombie fire, zone of fire

fire

adj

Etymology

Slang Amazing; excellent.

This is fire, keep up the amazing work!

fire

verb

Etymology From Middle English firen, fyren, furen, from Old English fȳrian (“to make a fire”), from the noun (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian fioria (“to light a fire”), Saterland Frisian fjuurje (“to fire”), Middle Dutch vûren, vueren, vieren (“to set fire”), Dutch vuren (“to fire, shoot”), Old High German fiuren (“to ignite, set on fire”), German feuern (“to fire”).

24 senses

1To set (something, often a building) on fire.
2To heat as with fire, but without setting on fire, as…
3To drive away by setting a fire.
4To terminate the employment contract of (an employee)…
5To terminate a contract with a client; to drop a client.
6To shoot (a gun, rocket/missile, or analogous device).
7To shoot a gun, cannon, or similar weapon.
8To operate a rocket engine to produce thrust.
9To set off an explosive in a mine.
10To shoot; to attempt to score a goal.
11To cause an action potential in a cell.
12To forcibly direct (something).
13To initiate an event (by means of an event handler).
14To inflame; to irritate, as the passions.
15To be irritated or inflamed with passion.
16To animate; to give life or spirit to.
17To feed or serve the fire of.
18To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.
19To cauterize (a horse, or a part of its body).
20To catch fire; to be kindled.
21To work as a fireman, one who keeps the fire under a…
22To start (an engine).
23Of a horse: to race ahead with a burst of energy.
24To begin cooking an order.

To set (something, often a building) on fire.

["]Then I slipped up again with a box of matches, fired my heap of paper and rubbish, put the chairs and bedding thereby, led the gas to the affair, by means of an india-rubber tube, and waving a farewell to the room left it for the last time." / "You fired the house!" exclaimed Kemp. / "Fired the house. It was the only way to cover my trail – and no doubt it was insured.["]1897, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “At the House in Great Portland Street”, in The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC, page 186:
That lamp was the mummy of a woman tied to a stout stake let into the rock, and he had fired her hair.1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

1 more example

It was long a question of debate, whether the burning of the South Side ghetto was accidental, or whether it was done by the Mercenaries; but it is definitely settled now that the ghetto was fired by the Mercenaries under orders from their chiefs.1908 February 19, Jack London, The Iron Heel, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC:

To heat as with fire, but without setting on fire, as ceramic, metal objects, etc.

If you fire the pottery at too high a temperature, it may crack.
They fire the wood to make it easier to put a point on the end.

1 more example

So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired-in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills,[…]a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

To drive away by setting a fire.

Till my bad angel fire my good one out.1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 144”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:

To terminate the employment contract of (an employee), especially for cause (such as misconduct, incompetence, or poor performance).

The first, obvious choice was hysterical and fantastic Blanche – had there not been her timidity, her fear of being ‘fired’[…].1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin, published 2011, page 226:

Broadly To terminate a contract with a client; to drop a client.

Don't be hesitant to fire a client - cull out the deadwood. If a client doesn't meet the above criteria, you are better off without him. You don't do your best work for a client you'd rather not have.1979, Richard Collins Rea, Operating a Successful Accounting Practice: A Collection of Material from the Journal of Accountancy Practitioners Forum, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 288:
Maintaining a collegial attitude even when doing the more difficult business work, like firing a client, is another part. If you are struggling through the relationship, the client might be struggling as well, so firing them may be mutually beneficial, and you should try and do it on the best of terms.2020, Rebecca Migdal, Museum Mercenary: A Handbook for Independent Museum Professionals, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 278:

To shoot (a gun, rocket/missile, or analogous device).

We will fire our guns at the enemy.
The jet fired a salvo of rockets at the truck convoy.

1 more example

He fired his radar gun at passing cars.

To shoot a gun, cannon, or similar weapon.

Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes.
I heard that both yesterday and today, when transports of the central government carrying our soldiers arrived at Hu-lu-tao, bandit troops on the shore fired at them.1989, Dolores Zen, transl., Last Chance in Manchuria, Hoover Institution Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 93:

Aerospace, Astronautics, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences To operate a rocket engine to produce thrust.

The RCS thrusters fired several times to stabilize the tumbling spacecraft.

Business, Mining To set off an explosive in a mine.

`Now are you both ready?' I said, as people do when they are going to fire a mine.1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports To shoot; to attempt to score a goal.

Andrey Arshavin equalised with a superb volley into the corner before Nicklas Bendtner coolly fired Arsenal in front.2010 December 29, Mark Vesty, “Wigan 2-2 Arsenal”, in BBC:

Medicine, Physiology, Sciences To cause an action potential in a cell.

When a neuron fires, it transmits information.

To forcibly direct (something).

He answered the questions the reporters fired at him.

Computer sciences, Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences, Software Ambitransitive To initiate an event (by means of an event handler).

The event handler should only fire after all web page content has finished loading.
The queue fires a job whenever the thread pool is ready to handle it.

To inflame; to irritate, as the passions.

to fire the soul with anger, pride, or revenge

Dated To be irritated or inflamed with passion.

Inexperienced girl as I was, I fired at the idea of becoming his dupe, and fancying, perhaps, that there was more in merely answering his note than it would have amounted to, I said — "That kind of thing may answer very well with button-makers, but ladies don't like it. […]1864, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Uncle Silas:
Love had fired my mind.1700, [John] Dryden, “Cymon and Iphigenia, from Boccace”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

To animate; to give life or spirit to.

to fire the genius of a young man

To feed or serve the fire of.

to fire a boiler
Driver G. A. Rowett, of the North Eastern Region's Neville Hill shed, now joined the locomotive as pilotman, and actually took over the regulator, Fireman Wheddon continuing to fire.1958 December 23, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 852:

1 more example

We left with the "Blue Train", dead on time. This time I fired all the way. […] The next day took me home again on No. E.16 with Henri Dutertre. I fired from Paris to Calais.1961 March, 'Balmore', “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, pages 150, 151:

To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.

[The sun] fires the proud tops of the eastern pines.c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

Farriery, Hobbies, Horses, Lifestyle, Pets, Sports To cauterize (a horse, or a part of its body).

Dated To catch fire; to be kindled.

Dated To work as a fireman, one who keeps the fire under a steam boiler on a steam-powered ship or train.

I fired on that train until August.

Slang, Usually, With "up" To start (an engine).

Hobbies, Horse racing, Horseracing, Horses, Lifestyle, Pets, Racing, Sports Of a horse: to race ahead with a burst of energy.

I'd say he struggled to get around the course. He never fired. In other years, when Buzzy Hannum rode him, he ran well enough to win, but not this time.1988, Chronicle of the Horse, volume 51, numbers 1-13, page 18:

Slang To begin cooking an order.

Derived terms: 25 terms
coal-fired, coalfired, fire at will, fire away, fire in anger, fire off, fire the starting gun, fire up, firing, gas-firing, get someone's neurons firing, hang fire, oil-fired, overfired, overfire, over-fire, ready, aim, fire, ready, fire, aim, ripple-fire, slamfire, stoker-fired, underfire, underfired, unfirable, you're fired

fire

intj

Command to shoot with firearms.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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