📖 WordNook

backfire

noun
  1. a miscalculation that recoils on its maker
    boomerang
  2. a fire that is set intentionally in order to slow an approaching forest fire or grassfire by clearing a burned area in its path
  3. a loud noise made by the explosion of fuel in the manifold or exhaust of an internal combustion engine
  4. the backward escape of gases and unburned gunpowder after a gun is fired
    blowback
verb
  1. to set a controlled fire to halt an advancing forest to prairie fire
    “We had to backfire to save the land.”
  2. to emit a loud noise as a result of undergoing a backfire
    “My old car backfires all the time.”
  3. to come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect
    “Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of trouble.”
    backlashrecoil