1
as in shooting
to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force
police officers firing rubber bullets
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2
as in discharging
to cause a weapon to release a missile with great force
soldiers fired at the enemy in panic-stricken disorder
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3
as in stimulating
to give life, vigor, or spirit to
a school outing to the natural history museum fired his imagination, and he grew up to become an eminent paleontologist
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in sacking
to let go from office, service, or employment
fired the secretary for incompetence
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in throwing
to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm
fired a pass to the running back
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6
as in burning
to set (something) on fire
lit some kindling before attempting to fire the logs
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of firing
Jordy Fee-Platt, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Last July, O’Neil shared an Instagram post with behind-the-scenes footage of her, Cox, and Diaz getting back into the Rookie groove on the firing range with their armorers.
—Tanya Melendez, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Los Angeles police responded to the apartment complex at 17701 Roscoe Boulevard after reports of someone firing shots into the air.
—Andrea Klick, Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for firing
Noun
After his firing, which coaches are atop that list?
—Verb
Renee Nicole Good, 37, was killed when video showed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent firing into her car on a Minneapolis street.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for firing
Noun
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Saros looks like a promising follow-up to Returnal, incorporating all the frenetic action and satisfying alien-blasting of the previous game, while also bringing in its own time-loop mechanic to justify the live-die-repeat gameplay style that Housemarque is fast becoming known for.—
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The opinion also estimates that drilling will kill or seriously harm several hundred sea turtles every year through oil spills, ship strikes, air gun blasting, explosives and marine debris.—
Verb
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Anger over shooting video Others pointed to the video of the shooting as a source of outrage.—
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Michael David McKee was arrested on Saturday, accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife and her dentist husband at their home in Columbus, Ohio, in late December.—
Verb
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Instead of stimulating the brain, alcohol slows it down and loosens inhibitions.—
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So to ensure that everyone is working in harmony, the exec is revamping the usual chain of command; Colgate’s top leaders are hearing out entry-level staffers, stimulating the flow of ideas between ranks and generations to generate the best possible outcome.—
Verb
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Luckily for the Bears, the Packers have allowed nearly 100 more rushing yards per game without Parsons, in addition to sacking quarterbacks less than half as often.—
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The Seahawks harassed Purdy throughout the night, sacking him three times and hitting him eight more.—
Verb
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After throwing for just 241 total yards in wins over Texas A&M and Ohio State to start Miami’s postseason journey, Beck completed 23 of 37 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and had the game-clinching rushing touchdown.—
-
This happened after a number of protesters began throwing snowballs at federal vehicles on the scene.—
Verb
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The prescribed fire has been burning on federal land managed by the United States Forest Service for four days.—
-
The company built a retail and residential complex around the county’s Coconut Grove Metrorail station, and Martin also is pitching an incinerator site in western Miami-Dade as an alternative to the Levine Cava plan to rebuild the trash-burning facility in Doral.—
Noun
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The bombardment of political ads will commence this week.—
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Israel launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon in September 2024 that severely weakened Hezbollah, followed by a ground invasion.—
Verb
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The autonomous submarine then moved further into the sea before launching the torpedo.—
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Famed for launching Downton Abbey, the network has been courting sale interest for well over a year, but for all the industry chatter and press speculation, ITV’s silence has been stony.—
Cite this Entry
“Firing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firing. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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