Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to backfire
Participle: backfired
Gerund: backfiring
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | backfire |
| you | backfire |
| he;she;it | backfires |
| we | backfire |
| you | backfire |
| they | backfire |
Perfect
| I | have backfired |
| you | have backfired |
| he;she;it | has backfired |
| we | have backfired |
| you | have backfired |
| they | have backfired |
Past
| I | backfired |
| you | backfired |
| he;she;it | backfired |
| we | backfired |
| you | backfired |
| they | backfired |
Pluperfect
| I | had backfired |
| you | had backfired |
| he;she;it | had backfired |
| we | had backfired |
| you | had backfired |
| they | had backfired |
Future
| I | will backfire |
| you | will backfire |
| he;she;it | will backfire |
| we | will backfire |
| you | will backfire |
| they | will backfire |
Future Perfect
| I | will have backfired |
| you | will have backfired |
| he;she;it | will have backfired |
| we | will have backfired |
| you | will have backfired |
| they | will have backfired |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | backfire |
| you | backfire |
| he;she;it | backfire |
| we | backfire |
| you | backfire |
| they | backfire |
Perfect
| I | have backfired |
| you | have backfired |
| he;she;it | have backfired |
| we | have backfired |
| you | have backfired |
| they | have backfired |
Imperfect
| I | backfired |
| you | backfired |
| he;she;it | backfired |
| we | backfired |
| you | backfired |
| they | backfired |
Pluperfect
| I | had backfired |
| you | had backfired |
| he;she;it | had backfired |
| we | had backfired |
| you | had backfired |
| they | had backfired |
Conditional
Present
| I | would backfire |
| you | would backfire |
| he;she;it | would backfire |
| we | would backfire |
| you | would backfire |
| they | would backfire |
Perfect
| I | would have backfired |
| you | would have backfired |
| he;she;it | would have backfired |
| we | would have backfired |
| you | would have backfired |
| they | would have backfired |
Imperative
| you | backfire |
| we | Let's backfire |
| you | backfire |
Verbs conjugated like 'backfire'
abacinate,
abalienate,
abase,
abate,
abbreviate,
abdicate,
abduce,
aberrate,
aberuncate,
abirritate,
abjudge,
abjudicate,
abjugate,
abjure,
ablactate,
ablaqueate,
able,
ablegate,
abligate,
abnegate, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'backfire'
backbite,
backfill,
backfit,
backtime,
acquire,
back-fill,
back-form,
backburn,
backdate,
backflip,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
From back + fire.
Sample Sentences
-
It was just after the Biafran war, and all the local people were still jumpy. Any time a car backfired or a police siren howled, they would dive under desks or tables instinctively. [1991 February 4, Ayofemi Folayan, “No Sounds Of Silence”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 28, page 7:]
-
His attempt to make money by importing luxury cars backfired horribly when fuel prices tripled.
-
Her plan backfired on her.
-
Obsessed only with cost, 'Sir Humphrey' saw that Transport for London 'got away' with ticket office closures on the Tube with only minor public pushback and miscalculated that it could do the same on the national network. This assumption backfired spectacularly. [2023 August 9, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Disinterested and dishonest”, in RAIL, number 989, page 3:]