Word: fire Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English firen, fyren, furen, from Old English fȳrian (“to make a fire”), from the noun (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian fioria (“to light a fire”), Saterland Frisian fjuurje (“to fire”), Middle Dutch vûren, vueren, vieren (“to set fire”), Dutch vuren (“to fire, shoot”), Old High German fiuren (“to ignite, set on fire”), German feuern (“to fire”). Pronunciation: /ˈfaɪ.ə/, [ˈfaɪ̯ə], [ˈfaː(ə)], [ˈfɑː(ə)], /ˈfaɪ.ɚ/ 1. To set (something, often a building) on fire. Labels: transitive Example: ["]Then I slipped up again with a box of matches, fired my heap of paper and rubbish, put the chairs and bedding thereby, led the gas to the affair, by means of an india-rubber tube, and waving a farewell to the room left it for the last time." / "You fired the house!" exclaimed Kemp. / "Fired the house. It was the only way to cover my trail – and no doubt it was insured.["] Example: That lamp was the mummy of a woman tied to a stout stake let into the rock, and he had fired her hair. 2. To heat as with fire, but without setting on fire, as ceramic, metal objects, etc. Labels: transitive Example: If you fire the pottery at too high a temperature, it may crack. Example: They fire the wood to make it easier to put a point on the end. 3. To drive away by setting a fire. Labels: transitive Example: Till my bad angel fire my good one out. 4. To terminate the employment contract of (an employee), especially for cause (such as misconduct, incompetence, or poor performance). Labels: transitive Example: The first, obvious choice was hysterical and fantastic Blanche – had there not been her timidity, her fear of being ‘fired’[…]. 5. To terminate a contract with a client; to drop a client. Labels: broadly, transitive Example: Don't be hesitant to fire a client - cull out the deadwood. If a client doesn't meet the above criteria, you are better off without him. You don't do your best work for a client you'd rather not have. Example: Maintaining a collegial attitude even when doing the more difficult business work, like firing a client, is another part. If you are struggling through the relationship, the client might be struggling as well, so firing them may be mutually beneficial, and you should try and do it on the best of terms. 6. To shoot (a gun, rocket/missile, or analogous device). Labels: transitive Example: We will fire our guns at the enemy. Example: The jet fired a salvo of rockets at the truck convoy. 7. To shoot a gun, cannon, or similar weapon. Labels: intransitive Example: Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes. Example: I heard that both yesterday and today, when transports of the central government carrying our soldiers arrived at Hu-lu-tao, bandit troops on the shore fired at them. 8. To operate a rocket engine to produce thrust. Example: The RCS thrusters fired several times to stabilize the tumbling spacecraft. 9. To set off an explosive in a mine. Labels: transitive Example: `Now are you both ready?' I said, as people do when they are going to fire a mine. 10. To shoot; to attempt to score a goal. Labels: transitive Example: Andrey Arshavin equalised with a superb volley into the corner before Nicklas Bendtner coolly fired Arsenal in front. 11. To cause an action potential in a cell. Labels: intransitive Example: When a neuron fires, it transmits information. 12. To forcibly direct (something). Labels: transitive Example: He answered the questions the reporters fired at him. 13. To initiate an event (by means of an event handler). Labels: ambitransitive Example: The event handler should only fire after all web page content has finished loading. Example: The queue fires a job whenever the thread pool is ready to handle it. 14. To inflame; to irritate, as the passions. Labels: transitive Example: to fire the soul with anger, pride, or revenge 15. To be irritated or inflamed with passion. Labels: dated, intransitive Example: Inexperienced girl as I was, I fired at the idea of becoming his dupe, and fancying, perhaps, that there was more in merely answering his note than it would have amounted to, I said — "That kind of thing may answer very well with button-makers, but ladies don't like it. […] Example: Love had fired my mind. 16. To animate; to give life or spirit to. Example: to fire the genius of a young man 17. To feed or serve the fire of. Example: to fire a boiler Example: Driver G. A. Rowett, of the North Eastern Region's Neville Hill shed, now joined the locomotive as pilotman, and actually took over the regulator, Fireman Wheddon continuing to fire. 18. To light up as if by fire; to illuminate. Labels: transitive Example: [The sun] fires the proud tops of the eastern pines. 19. To cauterize (a horse, or a part of its body). Labels: transitive 20. To catch fire; to be kindled. Labels: dated, intransitive 21. To work as a fireman, one who keeps the fire under a steam boiler on a steam-powered ship or train. Labels: dated, intransitive Example: I fired on that train until August. 22. To start (an engine). Labels: slang, usually 23. Of a horse: to race ahead with a burst of energy. Labels: intransitive Example: I'd say he struggled to get around the course. He never fired. In other years, when Buzzy Hannum rode him, he ran well enough to win, but not this time. 24. To begin cooking an order. Labels: slang