What does "backfire" mean?
A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in the wrong direction.
Backfire
/bækˈfaɪə(ɹ)/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in the wrong direction.
- Grammar: backfire is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: boomerang, antidote, backblast, backfiring.
- Useful contrasts: worked solution, achieve desired effect, advantage.
- Usage evidence: Tom thinks the plan may backfire.
How to use "backfire"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "backfire" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "backfire" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "backfire" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "backfire" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "backfire" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "boomerang" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "backfire", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in the wrong direction.
- 2 a miscalculation that recoils on its maker wordnet
- 3 An explosion in the exhaust passages of an internal combustion engine.
"As much of Seattle tries to sleep, the Hellcat supercar goes on the prowl, the howls of its engine and the explosive backfires from its tailpipes echoing off the high-rise towers downtown."
- 4 a fire that is set intentionally in order to slow an approaching forest fire or grassfire by clearing a burned area in its path wordnet
- 5 An explosion in other equipment.
"The chief causes of rectifier backfiring in the Glasgow units were overheating or unfavourable anode/cathode temperature differential; it has proved possible to overcome these, although occasional backfires do still occur."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a loud noise made by the explosion of fuel in the manifold or exhaust of an internal combustion engine wordnet
- 7 Alternative form of back fire. alt-of, alternative
- 8 the backward escape of gases and unburned gunpowder after a gun is fired wordnet
Verb
- 1 Of a gun, cannon, Bunsen burner, etc., to fire in the opposite direction, for example due to an obstruction in the barrel. intransitive
- 2 set a controlled fire to halt an advancing forest to prairie fire wordnet
- 3 Of a reciprocating engine, to experience a premature ignition of fuel or an ignition of exhaust gases, making a popping sound. intransitive
"It was just after the Biafran war, and all the local people were still jumpy. Any time a car backfired or a police siren howled, they would dive under desks or tables instinctively."
- 4 emit a loud noise as a result of undergoing a backfire wordnet
- 5 To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune. idiomatic, transitive
"His attempt to make money by importing luxury cars backfired horribly when fuel prices tripled."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect wordnet
- 7 To set a back fire (small, controlled fire to limit spread of a larger fire).
Example
"Tom thinks the plan may backfire."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "backfire"?
Common synonyms include: boomerang, antidote, backblast, backfiring, backlash, backlash.
How do you use "backfire" in a sentence?
Tom thinks the plan may backfire.
How do you pronounce "backfire"?
Pronounced /bækˈfaɪə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
From back + fire.