backfire

Word family

1 OPPOSITE/REVERSEif a plan or action backfires, it has the opposite effect to the one you intended 〔计划或行动〕发生意外，产生事与愿违的结果

The company’s new policy backfired when a number of employees threatened to quit.

公司的新政策事与愿违，有好几名员工威胁说要辞职。

► see thesaurus at fail

2. TTCCif a car backfires, it makes a sudden loud noise because the engine is not working correctly 〔汽车引擎〕逆火，回火

Examples from the Corpus

backfire• A risk without a clear purpose can backfire.• Sien confided in him for once, and the scheme to start another quarrel backfired.• Smearing a good woman for partisan, political advantage can be a deadly game that can easily backfire.• This was a clever attempt to appease the people, but it backfired.• His plan to get attention backfired, and instead of being promoted he lost his job.• Ellen was still arguing with me as Thessy and I climbed in and backfired away, but I was no longer listening.• It has backfired because those worst hit by the pandemic, black people, are paying the price.• A final experiment by the police at labour organization backfired disastrously.• Trying to make your partner jealous by flirting with other people can easily backfire on you.

Chinese

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