1
general::
noun destructive flames ADJ. big, huge | fierce | serious | disastrous | bush, forest, house VERB + FIRE be on The house is on fire! | catch A lantern was knocked over and the barn caught fire. | cause, set sth on, start Groups of rioters attacked and set the police headquarters on fire. | fan Strong winds fanned the fire. | add fuel to, fuel (both figurative) Frustrated ambitions can fuel the fire of anger and resentment. | extinguish, put out | fight He joined the crowds of men and women fighting the fire. | contain, control Firefighters struggled to control the fire. | be damaged by/in, be destroyed by/in The factory was destroyed in a fire started by arsonists. | be killed by/in, die in FIRE + VERB break out, start A fire broke out in the mail room. | go out | blaze, burn, rage The fire burnt for three days before it was finally contained. | spread, sweep through sth In 1925 a disastrous fire swept through the museum. | damage sth | destroy sth, gut sth The fire gutted the building, leaving just a charred shell. FIRE + NOUN safety legislation open fire. FIRE + VERB burn Although it was summer a fire burned in the great stone hearth. | kindle, light We had plenty of dry wood, so the fire lit easily. | die (down) The fire was beginning to die down. | burn (itself) out, go out | crackle | glow | smoke The fire smoked instead of burning properly. PHRASES the glow from/of a fire The interior was only lit by the golden glow of the fire. apparatus for heating rooms ADJ. electric, gas VERB + FIRE light, switch on, turn on Use a match to light the gas fire. | switch off, turn off FIRE + VERB be off/on Is the fire still on? shots from guns ADJ. heavy | anti-aircraft, covering, friendly The commandos pushed forward under the covering fire of their artillery. Several soldiers were killed in friendly fire due a mistake by allied forces. | artillery, sniper | cannon, machine-gun, mortar, rifle QUANT. burst a burst of machine-gun fire VERB + FIRE open The troops opened fire on the crowd. | return related to fire safety | hazard, risk Foam-filled couches are a serious fire hazard.She returned fire from behind the | drill We have regular fire drills to ensure that the staff know how to evacuate the building. | alarm | brigade, department, service | station | engine | hydrant | hose | extinguisher | escape The thief got away down the fire escape. | door PHRASES bring a fire under control Firefighters have now managed to bring the fire under control. | set fire to sth Someone had set fire to her car. burning fuel for cooking/heating ADJ. blazing, crackling, hot, roaring, warm | dying, smouldering | little | open | charcoal, coal, log, oil, peat, wood VERB + FIRE build, make | kindle, light Kim had managed to kindle a little fire of dry grass. | poke, stir, stoke (up) On cold nights we stoked up the fire to a blaze. | put sth on Put some more wood on the fire. | cook on/over When we go on safari we like to cook on an low wall. | cease, hold They were told to hold their fire until the enemy came closer. | be/come under We were under constant fire from enemy snipers. (figurative) The minister of transport came under fire (= was heavily criticized) for forcing increases in rail fares. | draw A few soldiers were sent out to draw (= attract) the enemy's fire. PHRASES be in the line of fire Unfortunately he was in the line of fire (= between the people shooting and what they were shooting at) and got shot., verb ADV. blindly, wildly She fired blindly into the mass of shadows. | wide Whitlock purposely fired wide. | back | off They fired off a volley of shots. VERB + FIRE be ready to He grabbed the shotgun and levelled it, ready to fire if anyone entered. | order sb to He ordered the troops to fire over the heads of the crowd. PREP. at She fired a revolver at her attacker. | into He fired the gun into the air. | on/upon The police fired on protesters in the city centre.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
2
general::
fire
verbs
start a fire
• The fire may have been started by a cigarette.
set fire to something/set something on fire
(= make something start burning )
• A candle fell over, setting fire to the curtains.
something catches fire
(= it starts burning )
• The boat caught fire and sank.
put out a fire
( also extinguish a fire formal ) (= stop a fire burning )
• Firemen successfully extinguished the fire.
fight a fire
(= try to make a fire stop burning )
• Further attempts to fight the fire were abandoned.
a fire burns
• The fire was burning more strongly every minute.
a fire breaks out
(= it starts suddenly )
• A fire broke out in the engine room.
a fire goes out
(= it stops burning )
• After several hours, the fire eventually went out.
a fire rages/blazes
(= it burns strongly for a long time over a large area )
• Fires were raging in the forest near Magleby.
a fire spreads
• The fire spread to the house next door.
something is damaged/destroyed by fire
• The school was badly damaged by fire.
phrases
be on fire
(= be burning )
• The whole house was on fire within minutes.
bring a fire under control
• Firefighters took more than an hour to bring the fire under control.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + fire
a big/major fire
• A big fire was raging at the fuel depot.
a forest fire
(= a very large fire in a forest )
• Greece has suffered many forest fires this year.
a brush fire
(= a very large fire in an area of grass )
• There were frequent brush fires during the hot dry summers.
a house fire
(= a fire that starts inside a house )
• Faulty electrical wiring is being blamed for a house fire.
fire 2
verbs
make/build a fire
• He found wood to make a fire.
start/light a fire
• It was too damp to light a fire.
put something on the fire
• Put another log on the fire.
cook something over a fire
• They cooked strips of meat over a wood fire.
a fire smoulders
(= a little smoke comes from a fire when it has almost gone out )
• The fire was smouldering in the grate.
a fire dies down
(= it burns less strongly )
• The fire slowly died down.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + fire
an open fire
(= a fire in a room that is not inside a stove etc )
• Sophie warmed herself by the open fire.
a roaring fire
(= a fire that is burning strongly )
• I sat by the roaring fire and dried off.
a camp fire
(= a fire that you make outside when you are camping )
• In the evening we sat around the camp fire.
a coal/wood/log fire
• There was a coal fire in the sitting room.
a gas fire
• She lit the gas fire and settled in front of the TV.
a real fire
(= one that burns wood or coal )
• There was a real fire blazing in the fireplace.
phrases
the embers of a fire
(= pieces of wood, coal etc that have almost been completely burned )
• He stared at the glowing embers of the fire.
transnet.ir
3
general::
fire
( also dismiss formal ) to make someone leave their job, especially because they have done something wrong:
• He was fired for surfing the Internet during work time. • Harris was caught stealing, and was dismissed from his job.
sack/give somebody the sack
British English informal to make someone leave their job, especially because they are not good at it, or because they have done something wrong:
• Bates was sacked from his job after the team failed to win any games. • His boss gave him the sack for taking too much time off work.
lay somebody off
to make a lot of workers, especially workers in a large factory or organization, leave their jobs, because there is not enough work for them to do, or not enough money to pay their wages:
• 3000 car workers have been laid off at the factory in Cleveland.
make somebody redundant
British English to make someone leave their job because they are no longer needed:
• 5 staff will be made redundant at the end of this month.
let somebody go
to make someone leave their job, Used by employers to avoid saying directly that they are getting rid of people:
• We’ve had to let two members of staff go.
discharge
to make someone leave their job in the army, air force etc:
• Grant had been discharged from the navy for threatening an officer.
ease somebody out
to make someone leave their job in a way that makes it seem as if they have chosen to leave:
• He had been eased out of office in an attempt to prevent a political crisis.
relieve somebody of their post/position
formal to make someone leave their job because they have done something wrong. Used especially to avoid saying this directly, and also when the job is a powerful one:
• The colonel and two other senior officers were relieved of their posts., fire
flames that burn in an uncontrolled way and destroy or damage things:
• In April, a fire at the school destroyed the science block. • a forest fire
flames
the bright parts of a fire that you see burning in the air:
• The flames from the burning building were lighting up the night sky.
blaze
written a large and dangerous fire – used especially in news reports:
• Firemen fought to keep the blaze under control.
inferno
written an extremely large and dangerous fire which is out of control – used especially in news reports:
• The entire building was on fire and hundreds of people were trapped in the inferno.
conflagration
formal a very large fire that destroys a lot of buildings, trees etc:
• The conflagration spread rapidly through the old town.
Longman-Thesaurus