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backfire
[ bak-fahyuhr ]
verb (used without object)
- (of an internal-combustion engine) to have a loud, premature explosion in the intake manifold.
- to bring a result opposite to that which was planned or expected:
The plot backfired.
Synonyms: , , ,
backfire
/ ËŒ²úæ°ìˈ´Ú²¹ÉªÉ™ /
verb
- (of an internal-combustion engine) to emit a loud noise as a result of an explosion in the inlet manifold or exhaust system
- (of an endeavour, plan, etc) to have an unwanted effect on its perpetrator
his plans backfired on him
- to start a controlled fire in order to halt an advancing forest or prairie fire by creating a barren area
noun
- in an internal-combustion engine
- an explosion of unburnt gases in the exhaust system
- a premature explosion in a cylinder or inlet manifold
- a controlled fire started to create a barren area that will halt an advancing forest or prairie fire
˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins
Example Sentences
In some cases, these stories could "backfire", make some readers angry, and hamper a media organisation's credibility, she tells the BBC.
If anything, making himself the centerpiece of a "woe is me" campaign is backfiring.
It backfired on them when the Mexican had a second poor season, and they had to pay him off.
“And it backfired because they threw the baby out with the bathwater. They would lie and say, ‘kids, if you smoke a joint, you'll be doing heroin in six months.’
"Britain's chequered history of benefit reform shows that the government should proceed cautiously, rather than rush ahead to find savings which could backfire," says Louise Murphy of the Resolution Foundation.
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