return fire
rɪˈtɜrn ˈfaɪər
Definition Synonyms Conjugation

Definition of return fire - Reverso English Dictionary

Verbal expression

1.
metaphoricalrespond to an attack or criticism
  • She decided to return fire with a sharp retort.
counterattack respond retaliate
2.
militaryshoot back at an attacker
  • The soldiers were ordered to return fire immediately.
counterattack respond retaliate
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Expressions with return

return empty-handedv.
come back without obtaining an item
She searched for the book but returned empty-handed.
by returnadv.
immediately after receiving something
Please send the documents by return.
return the favourv.
do something nice for someone who helped you
She helped me last week, so I will return the favour.
return to senderv.
send back to the original sender
The package was damaged, so I had to return to sender.
return to earthv.
become more realistic or grounded
After the meeting, he had to return to earth.
return to formn.
comeback to previous success or quality
The team's return to form surprised everyone this season.

Expressions with fire

on fireadj.
burning with flames or light
The house is on fire.
catch firev.
start to burn or burst into flames
The dry leaves can easily catch fire.
fire upv.
start or energize a machine or device
He fired up the computer to begin work..
shout firev.
yell 'fire' to alert others to danger
He had to shout fire to evacuate the building.
catch on firev.
begin to burn suddenly and intensely
The dry leaves can catch on fire easily.
fan the firev.
increase the intensity of a fire by blowing air
He used a newspaper to fan the fire.
feed the firev.
add fuel to a fire to keep it burning
He used dry wood to feed the fire.
keep the fire burningv.
sustain a literal fire
He added logs to keep the fire burning all night.
light a firev.
ignite a fire using a match or lighter
She used a match to light a fire.
put out a firev.
stop a fire from burning
The crew put out a fire before it reached the gas station.

Terms related to return fire

💡 Terms in the same lexical field: analogies, antonyms, common collocates, words with same roots, hypernyms…
firefighterfireproofreturnableanswercounterdefendopposereactrebutrepelresistassault

Terms with return fire included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
shoot backv.
military
return fire with a gun

Examples of return fire in a sentence

  • In the debate, she was quick to return fire.
  • They had no choice but to return fire during the ambush.
  • The unit was trained to return fire under pressure.

View all translations of return fire

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:riposter, rendre le feu, ...
  2. German:zurückschlagen, das Feuer erwidern, ...
  3. Italian:rispondere, rispondere al fuoco, ...
  4. Spanish:responder, devolver el fuego, ...
  5. Portuguese:responder à altura, revidar, ...
  6. Chinese:回击, ...
  7. Japanese:応戦する, 撃ち返す, ...
  8. Arabic:رَدَّ الهُجُوم, رَدَّ, ...
  9. Hebrew:לְהָשִׁיב אֵשׁ, לְהָשִׁיב אֵשׁ, ...
  10. Russian:отвечать, открывать ответный огонь, ...
  11. Ukrainian:відповідати на атаку, відкрити вогонь у відповідь, ...
  12. Hindi:पलटकर जवाब देना, वापस गोली चलाना, ...
Browse the dictionary entries starting with “r”:
return envelope return fare return flight return flow

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