fire
A1Neutral to Informal
Definition
Meaning
A chemical reaction that produces heat, light, and flames.
Enthusiasm or passion; an instance of discharging firearms; termination from employment (slang).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Highly polysemous. Primarily refers to combustion, but extended meanings (e.g., 'passion', 'dismissal', 'shooting') are common in specific contexts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Meaning 'dismiss from a job' is equally common in both. 'Fire engine' vs. 'fire truck' is a lexical preference. 'Fire brigade' (UK) vs. 'fire department' (US).
Connotations
Mostly identical core connotations (danger, warmth, destruction, passion).
Frequency
Both core and slang meanings ('dismissal') are high-frequency in all registers.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
fire [OBJECT] (e.g., fire a gun)fire [OBJECT] from [JOB] (e.g., fire him from his post)[OBJECT] is on fire (state)set [OBJECT] on fire / set fire to [OBJECT] (action)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “fire in the belly”
- “out of the frying pan and into the fire”
- “play with fire”
- “where there's smoke, there's fire”
- “trial by fire”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"We had to fire three underperforming sales staff last quarter."
Academic
"The study examines the role of fire in shaping prehistoric ecosystems."
Everyday
"Let's build a fire in the garden pit to roast marshmallows."
Technical
"The engine must sustain a constant internal fire for stable thrust."
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The manager decided to fire the entire team after the disastrous project.
- The artillery unit will fire at dawn.
American English
- The coach fired up the players with an intense pep talk.
- He was fired for consistently missing deadlines.
adjective
British English
- The fire door must be kept closed at all times.
- They conducted a fire drill last Tuesday.
American English
- The fire truck arrived within five minutes.
- Her fire-red dress was stunning.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Be careful! The fire is very hot.
- We made a fire to keep warm.
- The old factory caught fire yesterday.
- His speech was full of fire and passion.
- The company was under fire from investors for its lack of transparency.
- She has a real fire in her belly when it comes to human rights.
- The prosecutor's line of questioning failed to set the witness's testimony on fire.
- He was summarily fired for gross misconduct.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
FIre = Flames Igniting Rapidly Everywhere.
Conceptual Metaphor
ENTHUSIASM IS FIRE (e.g., 'a fiery speech'), ARGUMENT IS FIRE (e.g., 'a heated debate'), TROUBLE IS FIRE (e.g., 'fan the flames of conflict').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'fire' for 'shooting' (стрельба) in non-idiomatic contexts (e.g., 'The police started fire' is wrong). Use 'open fire' or 'start shooting'.
- Do not confuse 'fire' (огонь) with 'campfire' (костёр).
- The slang 'fire' meaning 'excellent' is modern and informal.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'The house was on fire for two hours before the firefighters arrived.' (Use 'was on fire' for state, 'had been on fire' for duration.)
- Incorrect: 'They fired him his job.' Correct: 'They fired him.' or 'They fired him from his job.'
Practice
Quiz
In the idiom 'out of the frying pan and into the fire', what does 'fire' metaphorically represent?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be both. Uncountable as a phenomenon ('Fear of fire'), countable as an instance ('Several fires broke out in the city').
'Fire' is the general event or mass noun. 'Flame(s)' refers to the individual, visible tongues of light within a fire. A candle has a flame; a burning building is on fire.
Yes, it's standard (e.g., 'fire a weapon', 'fire a shot'). The noun 'fire' can also mean the act of shooting ('troops came under heavy fire').
It is common in both formal and informal contexts, though slightly more direct/blunt than 'dismiss', 'terminate', or 'let go'.
Collections
Part of a collection
Places in the City
A1 · 50 words · Common buildings and places found in towns and cities.
Work and Jobs
A2 · 49 words · Jobs, professions and the world of work.