backfire
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++back·fire /ˌbækˈfaɪə $ ˈbækfaɪr/ ●○○ verb [intransitive] 1 OPPOSITE/REVERSEif a plan or action backfires, it has the opposite effect to the one you intended 〔计划或行动〕发生意外，产生事与愿违的结果 The company’s new policy backfired when a number of employees threatened to quit. 公司的新政策事与愿违，有好几名员工威胁说要辞职。► see thesaurus at fail2. TTCCif a car backfires, it makes a sudden loud noise because the engine is not working correctly 〔汽车引擎〕逆火，回火→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
backfire• A risk without a clear purpose can backfire.• Sien confided in him for once, and the scheme to start another quarrel backfired.• Smearing a good woman for partisan, political advantage can be a deadly game that can easily backfire.• This was a clever attempt to appease the people, but it backfired.• His plan to get attention backfired, and instead of being promoted he lost his job.• Ellen was still arguing with me as Thessy and I climbed in and backfired away, but I was no longer listening.• It has backfired because those worst hit by the pandemic, black people, are paying the price.• A final experiment by the police at labour organization backfired disastrously.• Trying to make your partner jealous by flirting with other people can easily backfire on you.back·fire verbChineseSyllable
a it or Corpus action if plan has backfires,
backfire
back‧fire /ˌbækˈfaɪə $ ˈbækfaɪr/
verb [intransitive]
1. if a plan or action backfires, it has the opposite effect to the one you intended:
The company’s new policy backfired when a number of employees threatened to quit.
2. if a car backfires, it makes a sudden loud noise because the engine is not working correctly
▪ fail to not succeed – used about people, plans, methods etc: The plan failed. | They failed to persuade her to change her mind. | This method never fails.
▪go wrong if something you do goes wrong, it fails after starting well: The experiment went wrong when the chemicals combined to form a poisonous gas.
▪not work if something does not work, it does not do what you want it to do: The drugs don’t work. | I tried to fix it with glue, but that didn’t work.
▪be unsuccessful /ˌʌnsəkˈsesfəl◂/ to not have the result you wanted: His first attempt to get a teaching job was unsuccessful. | The search was unsuccessful.
▪be a failure to be unsuccessful, with the result that you have wasted your efforts: The government’s 5-year plan to modernize the economy was a complete failure.
▪backfire if a plan or action backfires, it does the opposite of what it was intended to do: His plan to get attention backfired, and instead of being promoted he lost his job.
▪in vain if you try to do something in vain, you fail to do it: They tried in vain to save him. | All her efforts had been in vain.
back‧fire /ˌbækˈfaɪə $ ˈbækfaɪr/
verb [intransitive]1. if a plan or action backfires, it has the opposite effect to the one you intended:
2. if a car backfires, it makes a sudden loud noise because the engine is not working correctly
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