fire

S1 W1

BrE /faɪə/ AmE /faɪr/

noun / verb en → es

past fired pp fired ing firing

1 HEAT AND LIGHT [uncountable] A1

a flame that burns and gives heat and light

fuego, llama

  • start a fire

Collocations forest fire · campfire

  • The campfire was getting low.

    La fogata estaba bajando.

2 DISMISS EMPLOYEE [transitive] B1

to tell someone that they must leave their job because you no longer need them or are not satisfied with their work

despedir, echar a alguien

  • fire somebody

Collocations get fired · be fired from the job

  • She was fired for being late too many times.

    La despidieron por llegar tarde demasiadas veces.

3 SHOOT [transitive] B1

to shoot a gun or other weapon at someone or something

disparar, tirar

  • fire a shot

Collocations fire a bullet · fire a warning shot

  • The police fired shots into the air.

    La policía disparó balas al aire.

4 START [transitive] B1

to start something, especially a machine or engine

encender, poner en marcha

  • fire up

Collocations fire up the grill · fire up the engine

  • He fired up the barbecue.

    Encendió la parrilla.

5 EXPRESS ANGER [transitive] B2

to express anger or criticism towards someone

expresar enojo, criticar a alguien

  • fire at

Collocations fire back · fire criticism

  • She fired a sharp comment at him.

    Ella le lanzó un comentario mordaz.

6 DISCHARGE [transitive] B2

to discharge something, such as a weapon or a firework

disparar, hacer estallar

  • fire off

Collocations fire off a rocket · fire off a flare

  • They fired off several rockets.

    Dispararon varias cohetes.

7 FIREWORKS [countable] B2

a display of fireworks

fuegos artificiales, espectáculo de fuegos artificiales

  • set off a fire

Collocations New Year's Eve fire · Fourth of July fire

  • There was a big fire at the festival.

    Hubo un gran espectáculo de fuegos artificiales en el festival.

8 HEAT [countable] B2

a source of heat, such as a stove or heater

fuente de calor, estufa

  • light a fire

Collocations wood-burning fire · gas fire

  • We lit a wood-burning fire in the fireplace.

    Encendimos una estufa de leña en la chimenea.

Phrasal verbs

fire up START ENGINE/MACHINE B1

encender, poner en marcha

  • He fired up the engine.

    Encendió el motor.

fire off SEND QUICKLY B2

enviar rápidamente, disparar

  • She fired off an email.

    Envío un correo electrónico rápidamente.

fire away ASK QUESTIONS B2

pregunta, dispara (figurado)

  • Fire away with your questions.

    Pregunta todo lo que quieras.

fire back ANSWER QUICKLY B2

responder rápidamente, contraatacar

  • He fired back with a witty response.

    Respondió con una respuesta ingeniosa.

fire at will SHOOT WHEN READY C1

disparar cuando estés listo

  • The soldiers were told to fire at will.

    A los soldados les dijeron que dispararan cuando estuvieran listos.

Idioms

play with fire B2

jugar con fuego

  • You're playing with fire if you ignore the warning signs.

    Estás jugando con fuego si ignoras las señales de advertencia.

set the world on fire C1

causar un gran revuelo, hacer mucho ruido

  • He thinks he can set the world on fire with his new business idea.

    Él cree que puede causar un gran revuelo con su nueva idea de negocio.

catch fire C1

prenderse fuego, tomar fuerza rápidamente

  • The rumor caught fire and spread quickly.

    El rumor se extendió rápidamente y tomó mucha fuerza.