BACKFIRE Synonyms: 27 Similar and Opposite Words

backfire 1 of 2

verb

ˈbak-ˌfī(-ə)r

Definition of backfire

as in to collapse

to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect my plan to throw her a surprise party backfired when she ended up thinking that everyone had forgotten her birthday

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

backfire

2 of 2

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of backfire

Verb

The report also found that use of the grievance system can backfire. — Vanessa Romo, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026 Humphrey, despite being celebrated by legal experts as a landmark ruling, backfired, said Stephanie Campos-Bui, a policy researcher from UC Berkeley who tracked the decision’s rollout. — Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Noun

No, the backfire here would come from the little fact that this campaign will be promoting California just as the governor of our fair state begins in earnest his own campaign to become president of the United States. — Larry Wilson, Oc Register, 14 Mar. 2026 To call this a TABOR backfire would be an understatement for the ages. — Sean Camacho, Denver Post, 4 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for backfire

Recent Examples of Synonyms for backfire

Verb

Sunny Patel’s father, Jitendra (ph), traveled to the region from New York for a spiritual retreat, crossing the border into Tibet to start the trek when the glacier collapsed.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Scientists who studied satellite images said bedrock underneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it.

— Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of collapse

Noun

Similarly, a major firefighting operation was underway in southwest Germany near the village of Traisen, where the heat sparked a forest fire in an area that also contained unexploded ordnance.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 June 2026
This Anglican example near Beaufort, South Carolina, was built in the 1740s, but was largely destroyed by a forest fire in 1886.

— Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 June 2026

Definition of forest fire

Noun

But as wildfires have displaced residents in the West, ADUs have filled a vital need where housing has proved scant or expensive.

— David Morgan, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
The Pacific Palisades location, which closed because of the wildfire last year, is set to reopen in January.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of wildfire

Noun

Video showed locals draped in Spanish flags, shouting anti-migrant slogans, and singing Spanish songs, torching the camp and throwing migrants’ belongings in the Mediterranean or into bonfires.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026
While establishing a perimeter for the K-9, a trooper approached a residence on Trask Road and saw two men sitting by a bonfire in the front yard.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of bonfire

Noun

The firefighters made camp at two in the morning, reclining on the pillowy grass, and ate dinner around a flickering campfire.

— M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Fall menu items are currently available and include a campfire mocha, candied pecan cold brew, caramel apple matcha, boo-berry latte, cherry garcia and salted maple latte.

— Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of campfire

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backers

backfire

backfired

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Style

“Backfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backfire. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of backfire

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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