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fight fire with fire

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fire

  [fahyuhr] noun, verb, fired, fir⋅ing.
Use fight fire with fire in a Sentence
–noun
1. a state, process, or instance of combustion in which fuel or other material is ignited and combined with oxygen, giving off light, heat, and flame.
2. a burning mass of material, as on a hearth or in a furnace.
3. the destructive burning of a building, town, forest, etc.; conflagration.
4. heat used for cooking, esp. the lighted burner of a stove: Put the kettle on the fire.
5. Greek fire.
6. flashing light; luminous appearance.
7. brilliance, as of a gem.
8. burning passion; excitement or enthusiasm; ardor.
9. liveliness of imagination.
10. fever or inflammation.
11. severe trial or trouble; ordeal.
12. exposure to fire as a means of torture or ordeal.
13. strength, as of an alcoholic beverage.
14. a spark or sparks.
15. the discharge of firearms: enemy fire.
16. the effect of firing military weapons: to pour fire upon the enemy.
17. British. a gas or electric heater used for heating a room.
18. Literary. a luminous object, as a star: heavenly fires.
–verb (used with object)
19. to set on fire.
20. to supply with fuel; attend to the fire of: They fired the boiler.
21. to expose to the action of fire; subject to heat.
22. to apply heat to in a kiln for baking or glazing; burn.
23. to heat very slowly for the purpose of drying, as tea.
24. to inflame, as with passion; fill with ardor.
25. to inspire.
26. to light or cause to glow as if on fire.
27. to discharge (a gun).
28. to project (a bullet or the like) by or as if by discharging from a gun.
29. to subject to explosion or explosive force, as a mine.
30. to hurl; throw: to fire a stone through a window.
31. to dismiss from a job.
32. Veterinary Medicine. to apply a heated iron to (the skin) in order to create a local inflammation of the superficial structures, with the intention of favorably affecting deeper inflammatory processes.
33. to drive out or away by or as by fire.
–verb (used without object)
34. to take fire; be kindled.
35. to glow as if on fire.
36. to become inflamed with passion; become excited.
37. to shoot, as a gun.
38. to discharge a gun: to fire at a fleeing enemy.
39. to hurl a projectile.
40. Music. to ring the bells of a chime all at once.
41. (of plant leaves) to turn yellow or brown before the plant matures.
42. (of an internal-combustion engine) to cause ignition of the air-fuel mixture in a cylinder or cylinders.
43. (of a nerve cell) to discharge an electric impulse.
—Verb phrases
44. fire away, Informal. to begin to talk and continue without slackening, as to ask a series of questions: The reporters fired away at the president.
45. fire off,
a. to discharge (as weapons, ammunition, etc.): Police fired off canisters of tear gas.
b. to write and send hurriedly: She fired off an angry letter to her congressman.
—Idioms
46. between two fires, under physical or verbal attack from two or more sides simultaneously: The senator is between two fires because of his stand on the bill.
47. build a fire under, Informal. to cause or urge to take action, make a decision quickly, or work faster: If somebody doesn't build a fire under that committee, it will never reach a decision.
48. catch fire,
a. Also, catch on fire. to become ignited; burn: The sofa caught fire from a lighted cigarette.
b. to create enthusiasm: His new book did not catch fire among his followers.
49. fight fire with fire, to use the same tactics as one's opponent; return like for like.
50. go through fire and water, to brave any danger or endure any trial: He said he would go through fire and water to win her hand.
51. hang fire,
a. to be delayed in exploding, or fail to explode.
b. to be undecided, postponed, or delayed: The new housing project is hanging fire because of concerted opposition.
52. miss fire,
a. to fail to explode or discharge, as a firearm.
b. to fail to produce the desired effect; be unsuccessful: He repeated the joke, but it missed fire the second time.
53. on fire,
a. ignited; burning; afire.
b. eager; ardent; zealous: They were on fire to prove themselves in competition.
54. play with fire, to trifle with a serious or dangerous matter: He didn't realize that insulting the border guards was playing with fire.
55. set fire to,
a. to cause to burn; ignite.
b. to excite; arouse; inflame: The painting set fire to the composer's imagination.
Also, set on fire.
56. take fire,
a. to become ignited; burn.
b. to become inspired with enthusiasm or zeal: Everyone who heard him speak immediately took fire.
57. under fire,
a. under attack, esp. by military forces.
b. under censure or criticism: The school administration is under fire for its policies.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME; OE fȳr; c. ON fūrr, G Feuer, Gk pŷr (see pyro- ); (v.) ME firen to kindle, inflame, deriv. of the n.

Related forms:
firer, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Fire to Fire
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Fire Fighter
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fight   (fīt)   
v.   fought (fôt), fight·ing, fights

v.   intr.

    1. To attempt to harm or gain power over an adversary by blows or with weapons.

    2. Sports To engage in boxing or wrestling.

  2. To engage in a quarrel; argue: They are always fighting about money.

  3. To strive vigorously and resolutely: fought against graft; fighting for her rights.

v.   tr.

    1. To contend with physically or in battle.

    2. To wage or carry on (a battle).

    3. To contend for, by or as if by combat: "I now resolved that Calais should be fought to the death" (Winston S. Churchill).

    4. Sports To box or wrestle against in a ring.

    5. To participate in (a boxing match, for example).

    1. Sports To box or wrestle against in a ring.

    2. To participate in (a boxing match, for example).

  3. To set (a boxer, for example) in combat with another. See Synonyms at oppose.

  4. To contend with or struggle against: fight cancer; fight temptation.

  5. To try to prevent the development or success of.

  6. To make (one's way) by struggle or striving: fought my way to the top.

n.  

  1. A confrontation between opposing groups in which each attempts to harm or gain power over the other, as with bodily force or weapons.

  2. A quarrel or conflict.

    1. A physical conflict between two or more individuals.

    2. Sports A boxing or wrestling match.

  4. A struggle to achieve an objective. See Synonyms at conflict.

  5. The power or inclination to fight; pugnacity: I just didn't have any fight left in me.

Phrasal Verb(s):
fight offTo defend against or drive back (a hostile force, for example).

Idiom(s):
fight fire with fireTo combat one evil or one set of negative circumstances by reacting in kind.

Idiom(s):
fight shy ofTo avoid meeting or confronting.

[Middle English fighten, from Old English feohtan, fihtan.]
fight'a·bil'i·ty n., fight'a·ble adj., fight'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2fire
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: fired; fir·ing
transitive senses
1 : to cause to transmit a nerveimpulse
2 : to sear (the leg of a horse) with a hot iron in order to convert a crippling chronic inflammation into an acute inflammation that will stimulate the natural healingresponses of the body fire intransitive senses
: to transmit a nerve impulse fires>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

fire (fīr)
v. fired, fir·ing, fires
To generate an electrical impulse. Used of a neuron.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

fight fire with fire

Combat an evil or negative circumstances by reacting in kind. For example, When the opposition began a smear campaign, we decided to fight fire with fire. Although ancient writers from Plato to Erasmus cautioned that one should not add fire to fire, this warning is not incorporated in the idiom, which was first recorded in Shakespeare's Coriolanus.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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