fire
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon or other fuel.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fyerSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfaɪɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
uncountable
A (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon or other fuel, with the production of heat and the presence of flame or smouldering.
countable
The occurrence, often accidental, of fire in a certain place, causing damage and danger.
countable
An instance of this chemical reaction, especially when intentionally created and maintained in a specific location to a useful end (such as a campfire or a hearth fire).
countablebritish
A heater or stove used in place of a real fire (such as an electric fire).
Once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)
uncountable
The bullets or other projectiles fired from a gun or other ranged weapon.
verb
transitive
To heat as with fire, but without setting on fire, as ceramic, metal objects, etc.
transitive
To shoot (a gun, rocket/missile, or analogous device).
intransitive
To shoot a gun, cannon, or similar weapon.
transitiveby extension
To terminate a contract with a client; to drop a client.
transitive
To inflame; to irritate, as the passions.
transitive
To forcibly direct (something).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon or other fuel, with the production of heat and the presence of flame or smouldering.
Used this way, fire is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use fire
- “They lost everything in the fire.”noun
- “Fire was one of our ancestors' first discoveries.”noun
- “Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A pit whose floor is incandescent lava.
Malicious burning to destroy property.
European salamander having dark skin with usually yellow spots.
A sale of assets at very low prices typically when the seller faces bankruptcy.
A metal screen before an open fire for protection (especially against flying sparks).
A weapon consisting of a ship carrying explosives that is set adrift to destroy enemy ships.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
An open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built.
A member of a fire department who tries to extinguish fires.
Play in which children pretend to put out a fire.
A piece of flint that is struck to light a fire.
A station housing fire apparatus and firemen.
The relative capacity for delivering fire on a target.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: (usually self-sustaining) chemical reaction involving the bonding of oxygen with carbon
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.