fire
- n the event of something burning (often destructive)
they lost everything in the fire - n the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes
they retreated in the face of withering enemy fire - n the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
fire was one of our ancestors' first discoveries - n a fireplace in which a relatively small fire is burning
they sat by the fire and talked - n once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)
- n feelings of great warmth and intensity
- n fuel that is burning and is used as a means for cooking
put the kettle on the fire
barbecue over an open fire - n a severe trial
he went through fire and damnation - n intense adverse criticism
Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party - v start firing a weapon
- v cause to go off
fire a gun
fire a bullet - v bake in a kiln so as to harden
fire pottery - v terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position
The boss fired his secretary today - v go off or discharge
The gun fired - v drive out or away by or as if by fire
The soldiers were fired
Surrender fires the cold skepticism - v call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
- v destroy by fire
- v provide with fuel
Oil fires the furnace
fire-bellied toad
- n toad of central and eastern Europe having red or orange patches mixed with black on its underside
fire-bush
- n evergreen South American shrub having showy trumpet-shaped orange flowers; grown as an ornamental or houseplant
- n densely branched Eurasian plant; foliage turns purple-red in autumn
fire-eater
- n a member of a fire department who tries to extinguish fires
- n a belligerent grouch
- n a performer who pretends to swallow fire
fire hook
- n fire iron consisting of a metal rod with a handle; used to stir a fire
fire-on-the-mountain
- n poinsettia of United States and eastern Mexico; often confused with Euphorbia heterophylla
fire-raising
- n malicious burning to destroy property
the British term for arson is fire-raising
fire-wheel
- n annual of central United States having showy long-stalked yellow flower heads marked with scarlet or purple in the center