What does “fire” mean?
- 1
nounthe flames, heat and light made when something burns
The fire destroyed three houses.
- 2
verbto shoot a gun or other weapon
The soldier fired two shots.
- 3
verbto make someone leave their job
He was fired for being late every day.
Fire at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun & verb
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈfaɪər/ · FY-er
How to use “fire” correctly
“On fire” means burning now: “The car is on fire!” “Catch fire” means start burning.
Common phrases with “fire”
- catch fire
- on fire
- set fire to
- fire alarm
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- flames
- shoot
- dismiss
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- hire
Word family
- fiery
- firefighter
- fireplace
Idioms with “fire”
- Get on like a house on fire: To like each other and become friendly very quickly.
- Out of the frying pan into the fire: From a bad situation into an even worse one.
“fire” is on these word lists
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