Meaning & use
open fire
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Meanings
phraseidiommilitary
To begin shooting with guns or other weapons, usually at a particular target or group of people.
Grammar: No object; the target follows on or at: they opened fire on the convoy.
Patterns
- open fire on someone
- open fire at something
The patrol opened fire as soon as the vehicle failed to stop at the checkpoint.
Witnesses said the gunman opened fire without any warning.
Troops were ordered not to open fire unless they were attacked first.
nouncountable
A fire burning in a fireplace, pit or outdoor spot with nothing enclosing the flames, so you can see them and feel their heat directly.
Grammar: Usually written as two words with an article: we sat by an open fire.
Patterns
- cook something on an open fire
- sit around an open fire
The old inn has an open fire in the main room that guests gather around in winter.
We roasted marshmallows over an open fire at the campsite.
Fish tastes wonderful when it is grilled on an open fire.
phraseidiomfigurative
To start criticizing someone or something strongly, especially in a public argument.
Grammar: Figurative use, followed by on: the senator opened fire on her rivals.
Patterns
- open fire on someone
The columnist opened fire on the new policy in Monday's paper.
Within minutes of the announcement, rival leaders opened fire on the proposal.
Word forms
| third person singular | opens fire |
|---|---|
| past tense | opened fire |
| past participle | opened fire |
| -ing form | opening fire |
Common combinations
- open fire on a crowd
- Police denied that officers had opened fire on the crowd.
- open fire without warning
- The guards are not allowed to open fire without warning.
- order troops to open fire
- The commander refused to order his troops to open fire.
- cook over an open fire
- The villagers still cook over an open fire.
- gather around an open fire
- After dinner we gathered around the open fire and told stories.
- cozy open fire
- The cottage had a cozy open fire and two armchairs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shoot
- Shoot is the general word for firing a weapon, while open fire stresses the moment the shooting begins.
- fire
- Fire alone can mean a single shot, but open fire always means shooting starts, often at many shots in sequence.
- attack
- Attack covers any kind of assault, not only with guns, so it is broader and less precise than open fire.
- hearth
- A hearth is the floor of a fireplace, not the fire itself, so it fits the noun sense only loosely and sounds more traditional.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: open fire or open-air?
open fire vs open-air
Open-air describes something outdoors, such as an open-air concert; it has nothing to do with flames or shooting.
Practice
Which sentence uses open fire to mean beginning to shoot?
Choose one answer.
Only the second sentence describes the start of shooting at a target. The other three use open fire as a noun for an unenclosed blaze.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “open fire”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.