1. [n]  the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy; "hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes"; "they retreated in the face of withering enemy fire"
2. [n]  a fireplace in which a fire is burning; "they sat by the fire and talked"
3. [n]  intense adverse criticism; "Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"; "the government has come under attack"; "don't give me any flak"
4. [n]  the event of something burning (often destructive); "they lost everything in the fire"
5. [n]  a severe trial; "he went through fire and damnation"
6. [n]  feelings of great warmth and intensity; "he spoke with great ardor"
7. [n]  the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke; "fire was one of our ancestors' first discoveries"
8. [n]  (archaic) once thought to be one of four elements composing the universe (Empedocles)
9. [v]  Bake in a kiln; "fire pottery"
10. [v]  destroy by fire; "They burned the house and his diaries"
11. [v]  cause to go off; "fire a gun"; "fire a bullet"
12. [v]  go off or discharge; "The gun fired"
13. [v]  start firing a weapon
14. [v]  call forth; of emotions, feelings, and responses; "arouse pity"; "raise a smile"; "evoke sympathy"
15. [v]  terminate the employment of; "The boss fired his secretary today"; "The company terminated 25% of its workers"
16. [v]  drive out or away by or as if by fire; "The soldiers were fired"; "Surrender fires the cold skepticism"
17. [v]  provide with fuel; "Oil fires the furnace"

1. \Fire\ (f[imac]r), n. [OE. fir, fyr, fur AS. f[=y]r; akin
   to D. vuur, OS. & OHG. fiur, G. feuer, Icel. f[=y]ri,
   f[=u]rr, Gr. py^r, and perh. to L. purus pure, E. pure Cf.
   {Empyrean}, {Pyre}.]
   1. The evolution of light and heat in the combustion of
      bodies; combustion; state of ignition.
   
   Note: The form of fire exhibited in the combustion of gases
         in an ascending stream or current is called flame.
         Anciently, fire, air, earth, and water were regarded as
         the four elements of which all things are composed.
   
   2. Fuel in a state of combustion, as on a hearth, or in a
      stove or a furnace.
   
   3. The burning of a house or town; a conflagration.
   
   4. Anything which destroys or affects like fire.
   
   5. Ardor of passion, whether love or hate; excessive warmth;
      consuming violence of temper.
   
            he had fire in his temper.            --Atterbury.
   
   6. Liveliness of imagination or fancy; intellectual and moral
      enthusiasm; capacity for ardor and zeal.
   
            And bless their critic with a poet's fire. --Pope.
   
   7. Splendor; brilliancy; luster; hence, a star.
   
            Stars, hide your fires.               --Shak.
   
            As in a zodiac representing the heavenly fires.
                                                  --Milton.
   
   8. Torture by burning; severe trial or affliction.
   
   9. The discharge of firearms; firing; as, the troops were
      exposed to a heavy fire.
   
   {Blue fire}, {Red fire}, {Green fire} (Pyrotech.),
      compositions of various combustible substances, as
      sulphur, niter, lampblack, etc., the flames of which are
      colored by various metallic salts, as those of antimony,
      strontium, barium, etc.
   
   {Fire alarm}
      (a) A signal given on the breaking out of a fire.
      (b) An apparatus for giving such an alarm.
   
   {Fire annihilator}, a machine, device, or preparation to be
      kept at hand for extinguishing fire by smothering it with
      some incombustible vapor or gas, as carbonic acid.
   
   {Fire balloon}.
      (a) A balloon raised in the air by the buoyancy of air
          heated by a fire placed in the lower part
   
   

2. \Fire\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Fired}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Fring}.]
   1. To set on fire; to kindle; as, to fire a house or chimney;
      to fire a pile.
   
   2. To subject to intense heat; to bake; to burn in a kiln;
      as, to fire pottery.
   
   3. To inflame; to irritate, as the passions; as, to fire the
      soul with anger, pride, or revenge.
   
            Love had fired my mind.               --Dryden.
   
   4. To animate; to give life or spirit to; as, to fire the
      genius of a young man.
   
   5. To feed or serve the fire of; as, to fire a boiler.
   
   6. To light up as if by fire; to illuminate.
   
            [The sun] fires the proud tops of the eastern pines.
                                                  --Shak.
   
   7. To cause to explode; as, to fire a torpedo; to disharge;
      as, to fire a musket or cannon; to fire cannon balls,
      rockets, etc.
   
   8. To drive by fire. [Obs.]
   
            Till my bad angel fire my good one out. --Shak.
   
   9. (Far.) To cauterize.
   
   {To fire up}, to light up the fires of, as of an engine.
   
   
   
   

3. \Fire\, v. i.
   1. To take fire; to be kindled; to kindle.
   
   2. To be irritated or inflamed with passion.
   
   3. To discharge artillery or firearms; as, they fired on the
      town.
   
   {To fire up}, to grow irritated or angry. ``He . . . fired
      up, and stood vigorously on his defense.'' --Macaulay.
   
   

(1.) For sacred purposes. The sacrifices were consumed by fire (Gen. 8:20). The ever-burning fire on the altar was first kindled from heaven (Lev. 6:9, 13; 9:24), and afterwards rekindled at the dedication of Solomon's temple (2 Chr. 7:1, 3). The expressions "fire from heaven" and "fire of the Lord" generally denote lightning, but sometimes also the fire of the altar was so called (Ex. 29:18; Lev. 1:9; 2:3; 3:5, 9).

Fire for a sacred purpose obtained otherwise than from the altar was called "strange fire" (Lev. 10:1, 2; Num. 3:4).

The victims slain for sin offerings were afterwards consumed by fire outside the camp (Lev. 4:12, 21; 6:30; 16:27; Heb. 13:11).

(2.) For domestic purposes, such as baking, cooking, warmth, etc. (Jer. 36:22; Mark 14:54; John 18:18). But on Sabbath no fire for any domestic purpose was to be kindled (Ex. 35:3; Num. 15:32-36).

(3.) Punishment of death by fire was inflicted on such as were guilty of certain forms of unchastity and incest (Lev. 20:14; 21:9). The burning of captives in war was not unknown among the Jews (2 Sam. 12:31; Jer. 29:22). The bodies of infamous persons who were executed were also sometimes burned (Josh. 7:25; 2 Kings 23:16).

(4.) In war, fire was used in the destruction of cities, as Jericho (Josh. 6:24), Ai (8:19), Hazor (11:11), Laish (Judg. 18:27), etc. The war-chariots of the Canaanites were burnt (Josh. 11:6, 9, 13). The Israelites burned the images (2 Kings 10:26; R.V., "pillars") of the house of Baal. These objects of worship seem to have been of the nature of obelisks, and were sometimes evidently made of wood.

Torches were sometimes carried by the soldiers in battle (Judg. 7:16).

(5.) Figuratively, fire is a symbol of Jehovah's presence and the instrument of his power (Ex. 14:19; Num. 11:1, 3; Judg. 13:20; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:10, 12; 2:11; Isa. 6:4; Ezek. 1:4; Rev. 1:14, etc.).

God's word is also likened unto fire (Jer. 23:29). It is referred to as an emblem of severe trials or misfortunes (Zech. 12:6; Luke 12:49; 1 Cor. 3:13, 15; 1 Pet. 1:7), and of eternal punishment (Matt. 5:22; Mark 9:44; Rev. 14:10; 21:8).

The influence of the Holy Ghost is likened unto fire (Matt. 3:11). His descent was denoted by the appearance of tongues as of fire (Acts 2:3).