Meaning & use
backfire
Last updated
To produce a result opposite to what was intended, or, for an engine, to make a sudden loud noise from improperly timed ignition.
See it in a sentence
Her plan to surprise him backfired when he found out from someone else first.
The old truck's engine backfired loudly as it pulled out of the driveway.
A note on using this word
Widely used figuratively in everyday speech for plans or strategies that go wrong, well beyond its original mechanical sense.
Words with a similar meaning
boomerangmisfire
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Words with an opposite meaning
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