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Verb: backfire  'bak,fI(-u)r
  1. Come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect
    - backlash, recoil
  2. Emit a loud noise as a result of undergoing a backfire
    "My old car backfires all the time"
  3. Set a controlled fire to halt an advancing forest to prairie fire
Noun: backfire  'bak,fI(-u)r
  1. The backward escape of gases and unburned gunpowder after a gun is fired
    - blowback
  2. A loud noise made by the explosion of fuel in the manifold or exhaust of an internal combustion engine
  3. A fire that is set intentionally in order to slow an approaching forest fire or grassfire by clearing a burned area in its path
  4. A miscalculation that recoils on its maker
    - boomerang

Derived forms: backfired, backfires, backfiring

Type of: blowup, burn, burn down, come about, detonation, explosion, fall out, fire, go on, hap, happen, make noise, miscalculation, misestimation, misreckoning, noise, occur, pass, pass off, resound, take place

Encyclopedia: Backfire