"fires" in the noun sense
1. fire
the event of something burning (often destructive
"they lost everything in the fire"
2. fire, firing
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
"hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes"
"they retreated in the face of withering enemy fire"
3. fire, flame, flaming
the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
"fire was one of our ancestors' first discoveries"
4. fire
a fireplace in which a relatively small fire is burning
"they sat by the fire and talked"
5. fire
once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)
6. ardor, ardour, fervor, fervour, fervency, fire, fervidness
feelings of great warmth and intensity
"he spoke with great ardor"
7. fire
fuel that is burning and is used as a means for cooking
"put the kettle on the fire"
"barbecue over an open fire"
8. fire
a severe trial
"he went through fire and damnation"
9. fire, attack, flak, flack, blast
intense adverse criticism
"Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"
"the government has come under attack"
"don't give me any flak"
"fires" in the verb sense
1. open fire, fire
start firing a weapon
2. fire, discharge
cause to go off
"fire a gun"
"fire a bullet"
3. fire
bake in a kiln so as to harden
"fire pottery"
4. displace, fire, give notice, can, dismiss, give the axe, send away, sack, force out, give the sack, terminate
terminate the employment of discharge from an office or position
"The boss fired his secretary today"
"The company terminated 25% of its workers"
5. fire, discharge, go off
go off or discharge
"The gun fired"
6. fire
drive out or away by or as if by fire
"The soldiers were fired"
"Surrender fires the cold skepticism"
7. arouse, elicit, enkindle, kindle, evoke, fire, raise, provoke
call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses
"arouse pity"
"raise a smile"
"evoke sympathy"
8. burn, fire, burn down
destroy by fire
"They burned the house and his diaries"
9. fuel, fire
provide with fuel
"Oil fires the furnace"
10. fire
generate an electrical impulse
"the neurons fired fast"
11. fire, flame up
become ignited
"The furnace wouldn't fire"
12. fire, light, ignite
start or maintain a fire in
"fire the furnace"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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