fire noun

1 destructive flames

ADJ. big, huge | fierce | serious | disastrous | bush, forest, house

VERB + FIRE be on The house is on fire! | catch A lantern was knocked over and the barn caught fire. | cause, set sth on, start Groups of rioters attacked and set the police headquarters on fire. | fan Strong winds fanned the fire. | add fuel to, fuel (both figurative) Frustrated ambitions can fuel the fire of anger and resentment. | extinguish, put out | fight He joined the crowds of men and women fighting the fire. | contain, control Firefighters struggled to control the fire. | be damaged by/in, be destroyed by/in The factory was destroyed in a fire started by arsonists. | be killed by/in, die in

FIRE + VERB break out, start A fire broke out in the mail room. | go out | blaze, burn, rage The fire burnt for three days before it was finally contained. | spread, sweep through sth In 1925 a disastrous fire swept through the museum. | damage sth | destroy sth, gut sth The fire gutted the building, leaving just a charred shell.

FIRE + NOUN safety legislation open fire.

FIRE + VERB burn Although it was summer a fire burned in the great stone hearth. | kindle, light We had plenty of dry wood, so the fire lit easily. | die (down) The fire was beginning to die down. | burn (itself) out, go out | crackle | glow | smoke The fire smoked instead of burning properly.

PHRASES the glow from/of a fire The interior was only lit by the golden glow of the fire.

3 apparatus for heating rooms

ADJ. electric, gas

VERB + FIRE light, switch on, turn on Use a match to light the gas fire. | switch off, turn off

FIRE + VERB be off/on Is the fire still on?

4 shots from guns

ADJ. heavy | anti-aircraft, covering, friendly The commandos pushed forward under the covering fire of their artillery. Several soldiers were killed in friendly fire due a mistake by allied forces. | artillery, sniper | cannon, machine-gun, mortar, rifle

QUANT. burst a burst of machine-gun fire

VERB + FIRE open The troops opened fire on the crowd. | return related to fire safety | hazard, risk Foam-filled couches are a serious fire hazard.She returned fire from behind the | drill We have regular fire drills to ensure that the staff know how to evacuate the building. | alarm | brigade, department, service | station | engine | hydrant | hose | extinguisher | escape The thief got away down the fire escape. | door

PHRASES bring a fire under control Firefighters have now managed to bring the fire under control. | set fire to sth Someone had set fire to her car.

2 burning fuel for cooking/heating

ADJ. blazing, crackling, hot, roaring, warm | dying, smouldering | little | open | charcoal, coal, log, oil, peat, wood

VERB + FIRE build, make | kindle, light Kim had managed to kindle a little fire of dry grass. | poke, stir, stoke (up) On cold nights we stoked up the fire to a blaze. | put sth on Put some more wood on the fire. | cook on/over When we go on safari we like to cook on an low wall. | cease, hold They were told to hold their fire until the enemy came closer. | be/come under We were under constant fire from enemy snipers. (figurative) The minister of transport came under fire (= was heavily criticized) for forcing increases in rail fares. | draw A few soldiers were sent out to draw (= attract) the enemy's fire.

PHRASES be in the line of fire Unfortunately he was in the line of fire (= between the people shooting and what they were shooting at) and got shot.

fire verb

ADV. blindly, wildly She fired blindly into the mass of shadows. | wide Whitlock purposely fired wide. | back | off They fired off a volley of shots.

VERB + FIRE be ready to He grabbed the shotgun and levelled it, ready to fire if anyone entered. | order sb to He ordered the troops to fire over the heads of the crowd.

PREP. at She fired a revolver at her attacker. | into He fired the gun into the air. | on/upon The police fired on protesters in the city centre.

You can also check other dicts: fire (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition

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