backfire
Of a gun, cannon, Bunsen burner, etc., to fire in the opposite direction, for example…Of a gun, cannon, Bunsen burner, etc., to fire in the opposite direction, for example due to an obstruction in the barrel.
» Tom thinks the plan may backfire.
Tom meint, dass der Plan nach hinten losgehen könnte.
Meaning
4 senses(intransitive)Of a gun, cannon, Bunsen burner, etc., to fire in the opposite direction, for example due to an obstruction in the barrel.
(intransitive)Of a reciprocating engine, to experience a premature ignition of fuel or an ignition of exhaust gases, making a popping sound.
(idiomatic, transitive)To fail in a manner that brings down further misfortune.
His attempt to make money by importing luxury cars backfired horribly when fuel prices tripled.
Her plan backfired on her.
fehlschlagen, nach hinten losgehen
приводи́ть к обра́тным результа́тамprivodítʹ k obrátnym rezulʹtátam, привести́ к обра́тным результа́тамprivestí k obrátnym rezulʹtátam
To set a back fire (small, controlled fire to limit spread of a larger fire).
set a controlled fire to halt an advancing forest to prairie fire
Examples
37 sentencesTom thinks the plan may backfire.
deTom meint, dass der Plan nach hinten losgehen könnte.
Your plan could backfire on you.
ruВаш план может обернуться против вас самих.
deDein Plan könnte nach hinten losgehen.
What causes a car to backfire?
Tom thought he heard a car backfire.
Tom thinks that the plan may backfire.
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
From back + fire.From back + fire.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
backfires, backfiring, backfired, backfiredSynonyms
2 synonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle