fire
gb/fˈaɪɚ/ us/fˈaɪɚ/
A2
Anglais
~ 2500
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A2
event
1
Flames and heat from burning
Bright flames and heat that come from burning things.
Schéma d’usage :
[something] is on fire
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'fire' (noun) with 'fire' (verb) meaning 'dismiss from a job'. Context is important.
Synonymes
blaze (Often used for a large, intense fire.)
Antonymes
extinguishment (The act of putting out a fire.)
Collocations
start a fire
|put out a fire
|catch fire
|forest fire
|house fire
Thèmes
science
|daily life
|safety
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The campers built a small fire to keep warm.
- Smoke rose from the fire in the fireplace.
- A forest fire destroyed thousands of acres last summer.
- The paper caught fire when it touched the candle.
- Fire spread quickly through the old building.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The fire is very hot.
- We made a fire to cook food.
- The house is on fire.
- The man put out the fire.
- The paper is on fire.
Verbe
B1
action
2
Dismiss someone from employment
To tell someone they must leave their job.
Schéma d’usage :
to fire [someone] (from a job)
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'fire' (dismiss) with 'quit', which means leaving a job voluntarily.
Synonymes
dismiss (More formal and neutral than 'fire'.)
Antonymes
hire (To give someone a job.)
Collocations
fire an employee
|fire someone for cause
|get fired
Thèmes
business
|workplace
|work
Exemples
- The company decided to fire him for repeated lateness.
- She was fired after making a serious mistake.
- They fired several workers to cut costs.
- If you keep being late, they might fire you.
- He got fired for breaking company rules.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The boss will fire him.
- She was fired from her job.
- They fired me last week.
- He might get fired soon.
- The manager fired two workers.
Verbe
B1
action
3
Shoot a weapon or projectile
To make a gun or weapon shoot.
Schéma d’usage :
to fire [a gun / weapon / missile]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'fire' (shoot) with 'burn'. They are unrelated in this sense.
Synonymes
shoot (General term for discharging a weapon.)
Antonymes
ceasefire (An agreement to stop shooting.)
Collocations
fire a shot
|fire a gun
|fire at the target
Thèmes
military
|sports
|law
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The soldier fired his rifle at the enemy.
- She fired three arrows at the target.
- They fired warning shots into the air.
- The police fired tear gas into the crowd.
- He fired the starting pistol to begin the race.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He fired the gun.
- The man fired at the target.
- They fired three shots.
- She fired an arrow at the tree.
- The police fired into the air.
Nom
B2
state
4
Strong enthusiasm or passion
A strong feeling of excitement or passion.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse figurative 'fire' with literal flames; context clarifies meaning.
Synonymes
passion (A strong feeling of enthusiasm or love.)
Antonymes
apathy (Lack of interest or enthusiasm.)
Collocations
burning with fire
|fire in the belly
Thèmes
emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- She spoke with great fire about justice.
- His writing is full of political fire.
- The team played with real fire in the final match.
- You can see the fire in her eyes when she talks about art.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She has fire in her heart.
- The team played with fire.
- He spoke with fire about his idea.
- There is fire in her eyes.
Verbe
B2
action
5
Heat pottery or bricks in kiln
To heat clay objects in a special oven to make them hard.
Schéma d’usage :
to fire [pottery / bricks]
Synonymes
bake (In this context, refers to heating in a kiln.)
Antonymes
air-dry (To let something dry naturally without heating.)
Collocations
fire clay
|fire ceramics
Thèmes
crafts
|manufacturing
|arts_entertainment
|work
Exemples
- They fired the clay pots in the kiln for 12 hours.
- The bricks must be fired before use.
- She learned how to glaze and fire ceramics in art class.
Exemples pédagogiques
- We will fire the pots tomorrow.
- The bricks are fired in an oven.
- He fired the clay in the kiln.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
fire
API
GB/fˈaɪɚ/
US/fˈaɪɚ/
Syllabes et accentuation
fire (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (fire)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: fire
- Plural: fire, fires
Verb
- Base: fire
- 3rd Person Singular: fires
- Present Participle: firing
- Past: fired
Famille de mots
Forms
fires
noun
firing
verb
fired
verb
Core family
fiery
adjective B1
firefighter
noun A2
Advanced or less common
fireproof
adjective
Expressions
on fire
1/ˈɔn fˈaɪɚ/
fixed phrase
Burning or doing extremely well (figurative)
Burning with flames, or doing something very well (in informal speech).
Exemples
- The building is on fire! Call 911!
- She’s been on fire this season, scoring in every game.
open fire
1/ˈoʊpən fˈaɪɚ/
fixed phrase
Begin shooting weapons at a target
To start shooting guns or other weapons at someone or something.
Exemples
- The soldiers were ordered to open fire on the enemy.
- Police opened fire after being attacked.
set fire to
1/sˈɛt fˈaɪɚ tə/
fixed phrase
Cause something to start burning with flames and heat
To make something start burning.
Exemples
- Someone set fire to the abandoned house.
- He accidentally set fire to his notes while cooking.
catch fire
1/kˈæt͡ʃ fˈaɪɚ/
fixed phrase
Start burning suddenly
To begin to burn quickly without planning it.
Exemples
- The curtains caught fire from the candle.
- His shirt caught fire when he got too close to the stove.
- Dry grass can catch fire easily in summer.
play with fire
1/plˈeɪ wˈɪθ fˈaɪɚ/
idiom
take dangerous risks
To do something risky that could cause serious problems later.
Exemples
- If you cheat on the test, you're playing with fire.
- If you lie to the police, you're playing with fire.
- Investing all your money in one stock is like playing with fire.
- He's playing with fire by lying to his boss.
- He's playing with fire by investing all his money in one company.
- He’s playing with fire by lying to his boss.