6 PHRASE 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.
7 PHRASE If you hold fire in a situation, you delay before taking action. □ Their plan was to hold fire until they could appoint someone on a permanent basis.
8 PHRASE 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.
9 PHRASE If you open fire on someone, you start shooting at them. □ Then without warning, the troops opened fire on the crowd.
10 PHRASE 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.
11 PHRASE If you come under fire or are under fire , someone starts shooting at you. □ The Belgians fell back as the infantry came under fire.
12 PHRASE If you come under fire from someone or are under fire , they criticize you strongly. □ The president's plan came under fire for including spending cuts.
13 to fire from the hip → see hip
▸ fire away PHRASAL VERB If someone wants to say or ask something, you can say 'fire away' as a way of showing that you are ready for them to speak. [INFORMAL ] □ [V P ] 'May I ask you something?'—'Sure. Fire away.'
▸ fire off
1 PHRASAL VERB If you fire off a shot, you send a bullet or other missile from a gun. □ [V P n] A gunman fired off a volley of shots into the air. □ [V n P ] …an illustration of a guy firing a huge cannon off into the distance.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you fire off a letter, question, or remark, you send or say it very quickly, often as part of a series. □ [V P n] He immediately fired off an angry letter to his ministry colleagues.
➌ fire /fa I ə r / (fires , firing , fired ) VERB If an employer fires you, they dismiss you from your job. □ [V n] If he hadn't been so good at the rest of his job, I probably would have fired him. □ [be V -ed] She was sent a box of chocolates along with a letter saying she was fired. ● fir|ing N‑COUNT □ There was yet another round of firings.
fi re alarm (fire alarms ) N‑COUNT A fire alarm is a device that makes a noise, for example with a bell, to warn people when there is a fire.
fire|arm /fa I ə rɑː r m/ (firearms ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Firearms are guns. [FORMAL ] □ He was also charged with illegal possession of firearms. □ He was jailed for firearms offences.
fire|ball /fa I ə r bɔːl/ (fireballs ) N‑COUNT A fireball is a ball of fire, for example one at the centre of a nuclear explosion.
fire|bomb /fa I ə r bɒm/ (firebombs , firebombing , firebombed )
1 N‑COUNT A firebomb is a type of bomb which is designed to cause fires.
2 VERB To firebomb a building, vehicle, or place means to set fire to it using a firebomb. □ [V n] Protestors firebombed the embassy building yesterday. ● fire|bombing (firebombings ) N‑VAR □ The homes bore evidence of firebombing.
fire|brand /fa I ə r brænd/ (firebrands ) N‑COUNT If you describe someone as a firebrand , especially someone who is very active in politics, you mean that they are always trying to make people take strong action. □ …his reputation as a young firebrand.
fire|break /fa I ə r bre I k/ (firebreaks ) also fire break N‑COUNT A firebreak is an area of open land in a wood or forest that has been created to stop a fire from spreading.
fi re bri|gade (fire brigades ) N‑COUNT [with sing or pl verb] The fire brigade is an organization which has the job of putting out fires; used especially to refer to the people who actually fight the fires. □ Get everyone out and call the fire brigade.
fire|cracker /fa I ə r krækə r / (firecrackers ) N‑COUNT A firecracker is a firework that makes several loud bangs when it is lit.
-fired /-fa I e r d/ COMB [usu ADJ n] -fired combines with nouns which refer to fuels to form adjectives which describe power stations, machines, or devices that operate by means of that fuel. □ …coal-fired power stations. □ Most of the food is cooked on a large wood-fired oven.
fi re de|part|ment (fire departments ) N‑COUNT [with sing or pl verb] The fire department is an organization which has the job of putting out fires. [AM ] in BRIT, use fire service
fi re drill (fire drills ) N‑VAR When there is a fire drill in a particular building, the people who work or live there practise what to do if there is a fire.
fi re-eater (fire-eaters ) N‑COUNT Fire-eaters are performers who put flaming rods into their mouths in order to entertain people.
fi re en|gine (fire engines ) N‑COUNT A fire engine is a large vehicle which carries firefighters and equipment for putting out fires. [BRIT ] in AM, usually use fire truck
fi re es|cape (fire escapes ) also fire-escape N‑COUNT A fire escape is a metal staircase on the outside of a building, which can be used to escape from the building if there is a fire.