From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfirefire1 /faɪə $ faɪr/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 flames that destroy things [countable, uncountable]FIRE uncontrolled flames, light, and heat that destroy and damage things The warehouse was completely destroyed by fire. Thirty people died in a fire in downtown Chicago. Police think that the fire was started deliberately. Rioters set fire to a whole row of stores (=made them start burning).on fire (=burning) Within minutes, the entire building was on fire.Grammar ✗ Don’t say: in fire2 flames for heating/cooking etc [countable]FIRE burning material used to heat a room, cook food etc, or get rid of things you do not want You put up the tent and I’ll make a fire. Can you help me light the fire? The fire has almost gone out (=stopped burning). They all sat around the camp fire, singing songs. The fire was still smouldering in the grate (=there was a little smoke and it had almost stopped burning).by the fire/in front of the fire Come and sit by the fire. They dried their clothes in front of an open fire.3 heating equipment [countable] British EnglishDHF a machine that produces heat to warm a room, using gas or electricity as power a gas fire an electric fireturn the fire on/off Turn on the fire, I’m cold.turn the fire up/down (=make it hotter or colder)4 shooting [uncountable]SHOOT shots fired from a gun, especially many guns at the same time Troops opened fire on (=started shooting at) the demonstrators. These women did vital work, often under enemy fire. The rebels agreed to hold their fire (=not shoot). → be in the line of fire at line1(35)5 → be/come under fire6 emotion [uncountable]EMOTIONAL a very strong emotion that makes you want to think about nothing elsefire of the fire of religious fanaticism7 → fire in your belly8 → be on fire9 → light a fire under somebody10 → go through fire (and water) (for somebody)11 → fire and brimstone → ceasefire, → add fuel to the fire/flames at add(9), → fight fire with fire at fight1(18), → get on like a house on fire at house1(11), → hang fire at hang1(12), → play with fire at play1(26), → set the world on fire at world1(26), → there’s no smoke without fire at smoke1(5)COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: uncontrolled flames, light, and heat that destroy and damage thingsverbsstart a fireThe fire may have been started by a cigarette.set fire to something/set something on fire (=make something start burning)A candle fell over, setting fire to the curtains.something catches fire (=it starts burning)The boat caught fire and sank.put out a fire (also extinguish a fire formal) (=stop a fire burning)Firemen successfully extinguished the fire.fight a fire (=try to make a fire stop burning)Further attempts to fight the fire were abandoned.a fire burnsThe fire was burning more strongly every minute.a fire breaks out (=it starts suddenly)A fire broke out in the engine room.a fire goes out (=it stops burning)After several hours, the fire eventually went out.a fire rages/blazes (=it burns strongly for a long time over a large area)Fires were raging in the forest near Magleby.a fire spreadsThe fire spread to the house next door. something is damaged/destroyed by fireThe school was badly damaged by fire.phrasesbe on fire (=be burning)The whole house was on fire within minutes.bring a fire under controlFirefighters took more than an hour to bring the fire under control.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + firea big/major fireA big fire was raging at the fuel depot.a forest fire (=a very large fire in a forest)Greece has suffered many forest fires this year.a brush fire (=a very large fire in an area of grass)There were frequent brush fires during the hot dry summers.a house fire (=a fire that starts inside a house)Faulty electrical wiring is being blamed for a house fire. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: burning material used to heat a room, cook food etc, or get rid of things you do not wantverbsmake/build a fireHe found wood to make a fire.start/light a fireIt was too damp to light a fire.put something on the firePut another log on the fire.cook something over a fireThey cooked strips of meat over a wood fire.a fire smoulders (=a little smoke comes from a fire when it has almost gone out)The fire was smouldering in the grate.a fire dies down (=it burns less strongly)The fire slowly died down.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + firean open fire (=a fire in a room that is not inside a stove etc)Sophie warmed herself by the open fire.a roaring fire (=a fire that is burning strongly)I sat by the roaring fire and dried off.a camp fire (=a fire that you make outside when you are camping)In the evening we sat around the camp fire.a coal/wood/log fireThere was a coal fire in the sitting room.a gas fireShe lit the gas fire and settled in front of the TV.a real fire (=one that burns wood or coal)There was a real fire blazing in the fireplace.phrasesthe embers of a fire (=pieces of wood, coal etc that have almost been completely burned)He stared at the glowing embers of the fire. THESAURUSfire flames that burn in an uncontrolled way and destroy or damage thingsIn April, a fire at the school destroyed the science block.a forest fireflames the bright parts of a fire that you see burning in the airThe flames from the burning building were lighting up the night sky.blaze written a large and dangerous fire – used especially in news reportsFiremen fought to keep the blaze under control.inferno written an extremely large and dangerous fire which is out of control – used especially in news reportsThe entire building was on fire and hundreds of people were trapped in the inferno.conflagration /ˌkɒnfləˈɡreɪʃən $ ˌkɑːn-/ formal a very large fire that destroys a lot of buildings, trees etcThe conflagration spread rapidly through the old town.
Examples from the Corpus
fire• Georg Latzelberger, was destroyed in a forced-landing having been hit by both fighters and A.A. fire.• Eleven people died in a fire in Chicago early Monday.• The most commonly used pumps are submersible electric ones that pump out water through what looks like a fire hose.• The old man lit a fire in the stove of the front room.• The ship was hit by fire from a German plane.• We noticed that the enemy fire was now being directed at our part of the field.• A forest fire had been raging in the south and the sky in that direction had a deep red glow.• There was a sudden burst of machine gun fire.• There's nothing more comforting than a blazing log fire.• The rebel musketry fire was pouring... upon our men, who were closing together and rallying under the attack.• Most animals are afraid of fire.• It will not even perish by the flames of fire.• He thought that they would stay there, the track giving them visibility and line of fire.• My feet were on fire after the trek up the mountain.• The three main mast tips suddenly spout fire casting an eerie glow over the ship.• In the evenings the whole family would gather around the fire.• Police believe the fire in the store was started deliberately.• Could you bring in some wood for the fire?• You got the fire way up high.• Investigators say the fire probably broke out in the hotel kitchen.• Winds quickly spread the fire across the valley.• The fire was started by an electrical fault.• The fire quickly spread throughout the building.• When did humans first learn to use fire?turn the fire on/off• He turned the fire off and sat down on the settee, looking at the woman all the while.hold ... fire• Hold Fire to keep the shape attached; release it to send it flying.• The church has held them through fire and cholera epidemics since they arrived here with the compliments of the Bishop of London.• She found herself thinking, I have held my fire too long and lost the moment of action.• I held my fire until the enemy was within range.• It held passion and fire, it was a kiss of domination that asked for surrender yet promised surrender in return.• I am going to hold my fire until I see the whites of their eyes.• Thiercelin signalled to the sharpshooters manning the lower windows of the dining-room to hold their fire.• One could see the edges of the iron basket which held the fire.fire of• Nothing could dampen the fire of his enthusiasm for music.firefire2 ●●○ S3 W3 verb 1 shoot [intransitive, transitive]SHOOT to shoot bullets or bombsfire at/on/into Soldiers fired on the crowd.fire something at somebody The police fired two shots at the suspects before they surrendered.fire a gun/weapon/rifle etc (=make it shoot) the sound of a gun being firedfire bullets/missiles/rockets etc Guerrillas fired five rockets at the capital yesterday, killing 23 people.► see thesaurus at shoot2 jobLEAVE A JOB OR ORGANIZATION [transitive] to force someone to leave their job SYN sack British Englishbe/get fired She didn’t want to get fired.fire somebody from something I’ve just been fired from my job, and I don’t know what to do.fire somebody for something The airline fired him for being drunk.RegisterIn written English, people usually say that someone is dismissed rather than fired, which is slightly informal: He was dismissed for being drunk.3 excite [transitive]EXCITEDINTERESTED to make someone feel interested in something and excited about it SYN inspirebe fired with enthusiasm I was fired with enthusiasm to go traveling in Asia.fire somebody’s enthusiasm/imagination stories of magic and adventure that fire children’s imaginations4 → fire questions at somebody5 → wood-fired/gas-fired/coal-fired6 clay [transitive]TIP to bake bricks, clay pots etc in a kiln fired earthenware7 engine [intransitive]TTC if a vehicle’s engine fires, the petrol is lit to make the engine work8 → be firing on all cylindersTHESAURUSfire (also dismiss formal) to make someone leave their job, especially because they have done something wrongHe was fired for surfing the Internet during work time.Harris was caught stealing, and was dismissed from his job.sack/give somebody the sack British English informal to make someone leave their job, especially because they are not good at it, or because they have done something wrongBates was sacked from his job after the team failed to win any games.His boss gave him the sack for taking too much time off work.lay somebody off to make a lot of workers, especially workers in a large factory or organization, leave their jobs, because there is not enough work for them to do, or not enough money to pay their wages3000 car workers have been laid off at the factory in Cleveland.make somebody redundant British English to make someone leave their job because they are no longer needed5 staff will be made redundant at the end of this month.let somebody go to make someone leave their job, Used by employers to avoid saying directly that they are getting rid of peopleWe’ve had to let two members of staff go.discharge to make someone leave their job in the army, air force etcGrant had been discharged from the navy for threatening an officer.ease somebody out to make someone leave their job in a way that makes it seem as if they have chosen to leaveHe had been eased out of office in an attempt to prevent a political crisis.relieve somebody of their post/position formal to make someone leave their job because they have done something wrong – used especially to avoid saying this directly, and also when the job is a powerful oneThe colonel and two other senior officers were relieved of their posts. → fire away → fire back → fire something ↔ off → fire somebody ↔ up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
fire• You're fired!• He regained his balance, took aim, and fired.• Suddenly the car stopped, and the passenger got out and fired a Kalashnikov rifle at the police car.• The company fired a top executive for his role in improper financial dealings.• Not only can he be fired again, but probably he will be fired again.• As soldiers jumped out of the lorries, firing all around, helicopter gunships appeared overhead.• No shot is fired and no further shots may be fired that game - the gun is now useless.• Chapa was fired at the same time as Lozano.• As soon as we crossed the border, enemy troops started firing at us.• The two hapless groups of men now mostly hid, endured, and awaited their opportunity to fire back or escape.• The system has previously undergone six months of preliminary tests in the same Redwood City neighborhood, with officers firing blanks.• Several shots were fired, but no one was injured.• She was fired for serious professional misconduct.• When Max was fired from his job the whole family had to pack up and leave town.• He was just impossible to work with, and in the end they fired him.• During the night the accused fired his air gun out of the window of his first-floor flat.• The police fired into the air to make the crowd break up.• He's getting ready to fire me, she thought.• Kendrick fired three shots at the President's car.fire bullets/missiles/rockets etc• It had two lids which you closed once you were in, and instead of bullets, it fired rockets.• Police believe the weapon may have been a standard cartridge shotgun, specially adapted to fire bullets.• A gun is known to fire bullets at precisely three hundred and thirty meters per second.• There exist rifles which fire bullets faster than the speed of sound.• The guerrillas still fire rockets from well inside the security perimeter.• Gunshots crackled as police fired bullets into the air.• The device, which used a shotgun modified to fire bullets, was concealed in a wooden box hidden among trees.be/get fired• After three or four losses, there were rumors that Paul was going to get fired.• And, even after that policy fell, it would be another decade before flight attendants could become pregnant without getting fired.• Not only can he be fired again, but probably he will be fired again.• She knew too much to be fired and she refused to be bought out with money or offers of promotion.• Gas-operated and self-loading from a thirty-round magazine, they could be fired from the shoulder or the hip.• The idea was to enclose the pottery to be fired in a chamber.• Some directory-assistance operators and installation and maintenance employees will be fired, Sheth predicts.• If Anderson does not accept terms at four, the orders are he shall be fired upon.From Longman Business Dictionaryfirefire /faɪəfaɪr/ verb [transitive]HUMAN RESOURCES to dismiss someone from their jobSYNSACKLee Iacocca worked his way up to the presidency of Ford Motor Company, from which he was abruptly fired by Henry Ford II.The government aimed to sell off state assets and fire about 80,000 workers.fire somebody for somethingThe airline fired him for being drunk.→ See Verb tableOrigin fire1 Old English fyr 