Fire vs Fail - What's the difference?
fire | fail |
(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) Something that has produced or is capable of producing this chemical reaction, such as a campfire.
* , chapter=8
, title= (countable) The often accidental occurrence of fire in a certain place.
(uncountable, alchemy) One of the four basic elements.
).
(countable, British) A heater or stove used in place of a real fire (such as an electric fire).
(countable) The elements necessary to start a fire.
(uncountable) The bullets or other projectiles fired from a gun.
Strength of passion, whether love or hate.
* Atterbury
Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral enthusiasm.
* (Alexander Pope)
Splendour; brilliancy; lustre; hence, a star.
* (William Shakespeare)
* (John Milton)
(countable) A button (on a joypad, joystick or similar device) usually used to make a video game character fire a weapon.
(lb) To set (something) on fire.
* Chapter 20:
*:"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."
*1907 , (Jack London), (The Iron Heel)
*:It was long a question of debate, whether the burning of the South Side ghetto was accidental, or whether it was done by the Mercenaries; but it is definitely settled now that the ghetto was fired by the Mercenaries under orders from their chiefs.
(lb) To heat without setting on fire, as ceramic, metal objects, etc.
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*
*:So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired -in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills,a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
(lb) To drive away by setting a fire.
*(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
*:Till my bad angel fire my good one out.
(lb) To terminate the employment contract of (an employee), especially for cause (such as misconduct or poor performance).
*1969 , (Vladimir Nabokov), , Penguin 2011, p.226:
*:The first, obvious choice was hysterical and fantastic Blanche – had there not been her timidity, her fear of being ‘fired ’.
(lb) To shoot (a device that launches a projectile or a pulse of stream of something).
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(lb) To shoot a gun, a cannon or a similar weapon.
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To shoot; to attempt to score a goal.
*{{quote-news, year=2010, date=December 29, author=Mark Vesty, work=BBC
, title= To cause an action potential in a cell.
:
(lb) To forcibly direct (something).
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To initiate an event (by means of an event handler).
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To inflame; to irritate, as the passions.
:
*(John Dryden) (1631-1700)
*:Love had fired my mind.
To animate; to give life or spirit to.
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To feed or serve the fire of.
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To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.
*(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
*:[The sun] fires the proud tops of the eastern pines.
(lb) To cauterize.
To catch fire; to be kindled.
To be irritated or inflamed with passion.
(label) To be unsuccessful.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-10, volume=408, issue=8848, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= (label) Not to achieve a particular stated goal. (Usage note: The direct object of this word is usually an infinitive.)
(label) To neglect.
To cease to operate correctly.
(label) To be wanting to, to be insufficient for, to disappoint, to desert.
* Bible, 1 Kings ii. 4
* 1843 , (Thomas Carlyle), '', book 3, ch. II, ''Gospel of Mammonism
*
, title=The Mirror and the Lamp
, chapter=2 (label) To receive one or more non-passing grades in academic pursuits.
(label) To give a student a non-passing grade in an academic endeavour.
To miss attaining; to lose.
* Milton
To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence.
* Bible, Job xiv. 11
* Shakespeare
(archaic) To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; used with of .
* Berke
(archaic) To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.
* Milton
(archaic) To deteriorate in respect to vigour, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker.
(obsolete) To perish; to die; used of a person.
* Shakespeare
(obsolete) To err in judgment; to be mistaken.
* Milton
To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent.
(uncountable) (label) Poor quality; substandard workmanship.
(label) A failure (condition of being unsuccessful)
A failure (something incapable of success)
A failure, especially of a financial transaction (a termination of an action).
A failing grade in an academic examination.
As nouns the difference between fire and fail
is that fire is the sector of the economy including finance, insurance and real estate businesses while fail is .fire
English
Noun
Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=We toted in the wood and got the fire going nice and comfortable. Lord James still set in one of the chairs and Applegate had cabbaged the other and was hugging the stove.}}
- He had fire in his temper.
- And bless their critic with a poet's fire .
- Stars, hide your fires .
- As in a zodiac representing the heavenly fires .
Derived terms
* all-fire * add fuel to the fire * back fire * balefire * ball of fire * baptism of fire * bonfire * brush-fire * brush fire * bushfire * campfire * catch fire * ceasefire * covering fire * electric fire * fiery * fight fire with fire * fire alarm * fire and brimstone * fire away * firearm * fireball * fire bay * fire beater * fireblast * firebolt * firebomb * firebrand * firebreak * fire brigade * firebug * fireclay * fire company * firecracker * fire department * firedog * fire drill * fire eater * fire engine * fire escape * fire exit * fire extinguisher * fire-fight * firefight * firefighter * fire flapper * firefly * fireguard * fire hose * firehouse * fire hydrant * fire in the belly * firelighter * fireman * fireplace * fireplug * fireproof * fire resistant * fire retardant * fireshine * fire ship * fire station * fireside * fire sign * fire-starter * fire step * firestop * fire swab * fire swatter * fire teaser * fire trench * fire truck * fire up * firewire * firewoman * firewood * firework * forest fire * friendly fire * gas fire * grassfire * grass fire * Greek fire * hang fire * heap coals on fire * hold your fire * hold someone's feet to the fire * irons in the fire * light someone's fire * no smoke without fire * on fire * open fire * ordeal of fire * play with fire * Promethean fire * pull out of the fire * rapid fire * real fire * St Anthony's fire * St Elmo's fire * trial by fireVerb
(fir)Wigan 2-2 Arsenal, passage=Andrey Arshavin equalised with a superb volley into the corner before Nicklas Bendtner coolly fired Arsenal in front.}}
Synonyms
* (set on fire) See set on fire * (sense) let off, loose (archery), shoot, * (terminate the employment of) dismiss, be given one's cards, be given the boot]], be given the elbow, [[heave-ho, be given the old heave-ho, let go, make redundant, sack, throw out * (sense) open fire, shoot * See alsoAntonyms
* (to terminate the employment) hireDerived terms
* fire away * fire off * fire up * firing * overfired * ! * underfired * unfirable * you're firedStatistics
*External links
* (wikipedia "fire")fail
English
Verb
(en verb)A new prescription, passage=As the world’s drug habit shows, governments are failing in their quest to monitor every London window-box and Andean hillside for banned plants. But even that Sisyphean task looks easy next to the fight against synthetic drugs. No sooner has a drug been blacklisted than chemists adjust their recipe and start churning out a subtly different one.}}
- There shall not fail thee a man on the throne.
- A poor Irish Widow […] went forth with her three children, bare of all resource, to solicit help from the Charitable Establishments of that City. At this Charitable Establishment and then at that she was refused; referred from one to the other, helped by none; — till she had exhausted them all; till her strength and heart failed her: she sank down in typhus-fever […]
citation, passage=That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness failed him, he overcame you by sheer impudence.}}
- though that seat of earthly bliss be failed
- The crops failed last year.
- as the waters fail from the sea
- Till Lionel's issue fails , his should not reign.
- If ever they fail of beauty, this failure is not be attributed to their size.
- When earnestly they seek / Such proof, conclude they then begin to fail .
- A sick man fails .
- had the king in his last sickness failed
- Which ofttimes may succeed, so as perhaps / Shall grieve him, if I fail not.
Usage notes
* This is a catenative verb which takes the to infinitive . SeeSynonyms
* (to be unsuccessful) fall on one's faceAntonyms
* (to be unsuccessful) succeedDerived terms
* failure * fail-safeNoun
- The project was full of fail .