backfire
/ˈbækfaɪə(ɹ)/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.11 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
noun
An explosion in the exhaust passages of an internal combustion engine.
noun
Alternative form of back fire.
verb
Of a gun, cannon, Bunsen burner, etc., to fire in the opposite direction, for example due to an obstruction in the barrel.
Intransitive verb
verb
Of a reciprocating engine, to experience a premature ignition of fuel or an ignition of exhaust gases, making a popping sound.
Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "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."
- "A firefighter monitors a backfire while battling the Carr Fire on July 27. […] A firefighter lights backfires in Redding on July 27."
- "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."
- "His attempt to make money by importing luxury cars backfired horribly when fuel prices tripled."
- "Her plan backfired on her."