Backfire Meaning
/ˈbækfaɪə(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo have the opposite effect from the one intended.
nounA premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in the wrong direction.
Sentence Examples
The harsh advertisement began to backfire when customers complained online.
Tom thought that he heard a car backfire.
CEFR Practice Quiz
If you do not follow the safety rules, the engine might ____ and cause injuries.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The risky plan might ____ and cause more problems than it solves.
Word Origin & History
From back + fire.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"As much of Seattle tries to sleep, the Hellcat supercar goes on the prowl, the howls of its engine and the explosive backfires from its tailpipes echoing off the high-rise towers downtown."
— 2024 May 29, Mike Baker, “Sleepless in Seattle as a Hellcat Roars Through the Streets”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 06 Jun 2024:
"The chief causes of rectifier backfiring in the Glasgow units were overheating or unfavourable anode/cathode temperature differential; it has proved possible to overcome these, although occasional backfires do still occur."
— 1962 July, “Failures of multiple-unit electric trains on British Railways”, in Modern Railways, page 53:
"A firefighter monitors a backfire while battling the Carr Fire on July 27. […] A firefighter lights backfires in Redding on July 27."
— 2018 August 13, “Massive wildfires scorching California”, in CNN, archived from the original on 11 May 2026:
"It was just after the Biafran war, and all the local people were still jumpy. Any time a car backfired or a police siren howled, they would dive under desks or tables instinctively."
— 1991 February 4, Ayofemi Folayan, “No Sounds Of Silence”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 28, page 7:
"Obsessed only with cost, 'Sir Humphrey' saw that Transport for London 'got away' with ticket office closures on the Tube with only minor public pushback and miscalculated that it could do the same on the national network. This assumption backfired spectacularly."
— 2023 August 9, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Disinterested and dishonest”, in RAIL, number 989, page 3:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
If you do not follow the safety rules, the engine might ____ and cause injuries.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The risky plan might ____ and cause more problems than it solves.