backfire
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Once someone has formed an opinion, debunking their belief can backfire, driving them to commit even more strongly to their mistake.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026
The NFL is taking proactive steps to limit the possibility of a work stoppage involving the referees’ union, but could the league’s plans backfire?
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
The pressure is now on CEO Vinai Venkatesham - previously at Arsenal - sporting director Johan Lange, and the Lewis family, who are over-seeing affairs, as the gamble of Tudor's appointment continues to backfire.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
This strategy "will backfire for specific audiences, particularly Westerners and others from democracies who are used to having freedom of expression," said Bohl.
From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026
In many Mende stories the spider is the character that tricks other animals to get what he wants, but his tricks always backfire on him.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
Vocabulary lists containing backfire
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature
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Catching Fire
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