fire 2

English - English

Definition of fire 2 in English English dictionary

If you open fire on someone, you start shooting at them. Then without warning, the troops opened fire on the crowd

If you return fire or you return someone's fire, you shoot back at someone who has shot at you. The soldiers returned fire after being attacked

If you draw fire for something that you have done, you cause people to criticize you or attack you because of it. The council recently drew fire for its intervention in the dispute

If you fire an arrow, you send it from a bow. He fired an arrow into a clearing in the forest. = shoot

to fire from the hip: see hip

If you come under fire from someone or are under fire, they criticize you strongly. The president's plan first came under fire from critics who said he hadn't included enough spending cuts

If you hold fire in a situation, you delay before taking action. Observers reckon the Bank of England will hold fire until nearer the Budget. = hold back

If you are in the line of fire, you are in a position where someone is aiming their gun at you. If you move into their line of fire, you move into a position between them and the thing they were aiming at. He cheerfully blows away any bad guy stupid enough to get in his line of fire The man and his son had been pushed into the line of fire by their captors

If you come under fire or are under fire, someone starts shooting at you. The Belgians fell back as the infantry came under fire

If someone fires a gun or a bullet, or if they fire, a bullet is sent from a gun that they are using. Seven people were wounded when soldiers fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds The gun was fired and Beaton was wounded a second time Seventeen people were killed when security forces fired on demonstrators They were firing. I screamed at them to stop. + firing fir·ing The firing continued even while the protestors were fleeing

You can use fire to refer to the shots fired from a gun or guns. His car was raked with fire from automatic weapons The two were reportedly killed in an exchange of fire during a police raid. = gunfire

If someone holds their fire or holds fire, they stop shooting or they wait before they start shooting. Devereux ordered his men to hold their fire until the ships got closer

If you fire questions at someone, you ask them a lot of questions very quickly, one after another. They were bombarded by more than 100 representatives firing questions on pollution

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