fired

fired — adjective

  • firedpositive
  • more firedcomparative
  • most firedsuperlative

1. operated by or using a particular type of fuel such as coal, gas, or oil — usual

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

operated by or using a particular type of fuel such as coal, gas, or oil — usually formed as a compound with the fuel name followed by a hyphen.

Example

The coal-fired power plant across the river supplies electricity to five nearby towns.

compound adjective: coal-fired + power plant

Feng's new apartment uses a gas-fired water heater for hot showers.

Common collocations
  • coal-fired
  • gas-fired
  • oil-fired
  • wood-fired
  • biomass-fired
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

[fuel noun]-fired + [machine/engine/plant]

Usage Note

Almost always appears as part of a hyphenated compound adjective (e.g., coal-fired, gas-fired, wood-fired). The fuel name comes first, and the whole compound modifies a machine, engine, furnace, or power station.

Common Mistakes

He bought a fired gas heater.
He bought a gas-fired heater.
The fuel type must come before 'fired' with a hyphen.

2. hardened and made durable by being heated at a high temperature in a kiln — used

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

hardened and made durable by being heated at a high temperature in a kiln — used of clay, pottery, bricks, or ceramic materials.

Example

The potter carefully removed the fired clay bowl from the hot kiln.

Élise bought a set of beautifully fired ceramic plates at the weekend market.

adverb + fired: beautifully fired

Common collocations
  • fired clay
  • fired pottery
  • fired ceramics
  • fired bricks
  • kiln-fired
Synonyms
  • kiln-dried

    more specific to moisture removal rather than chemical hardening

  • baked

    informal, less precise; also used for food

Antonyms
  • unfired

    raw clay or pottery that has not been through a kiln

  • sun-dried

    dried naturally without high heat, less permanent

Grammar Patterns

fired + [clay / pottery / ceramic object]

adverb + fired + [ceramic noun]

Usage Note

Typically used attributively (before a noun) to describe ceramic or clay products. Can be modified by adverbs such as 'well-fired,' 'properly fired,' or 'hard-fired' to indicate quality.

Common Mistakes

The clay was fired in the sun.
The clay was fired in a kiln.
Firing requires a kiln or oven, not sunlight. Sun-drying is a different, cooler process.

3. told to leave your job, usually because of poor performance, misconduct, or fina

3.adjectiveB1
Definition

told to leave your job, usually because of poor performance, misconduct, or financial cuts at the company.

Example

Soraya was fired from her accounting job after the company lost several major clients.

passive: be fired from [job]

Tariq got fired for repeatedly arriving late to morning meetings.

informal: get fired for [reason]

Common collocations
  • get fired
  • be fired
  • fired from
  • fired for misconduct
  • wrongfully fired
Synonyms
  • sacked

    British English; informal

  • let go

    softer, often euphemistic; can also mean laid off

  • terminated

    formal; used in official HR language

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be fired from + [job/organization]

get fired for + [reason]

get fired

Usage Note

In this adjectival sense, the word always appears in passive constructions: 'be fired' (neutral) or 'get fired' (informal). The active verb form is 'fire' (e.g., 'The manager fired Cyrus'). 'Get fired' is more common in everyday conversation; 'be fired' is slightly more formal. Being fired typically implies fault or downsizing, unlike 'laid off,' which is due to circumstances beyond the employee's control.

Common Mistakes

I fired from my job last week.
I was fired from my job last week.' or 'I got fired from my job last week.
The passive voice is required for this meaning.
I was fired, which means my contract ended normally.
I was laid off.
'Fired' suggests poor performance or fault; 'laid off' means the job ended for reasons unrelated to you.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/3

All five expressions describe the end of employment, but they differ in cause, register, and connotation. 'Fired' (or 'sacked' in British English) implies the employee lost the job for a reason — poor performance, misconduct, or rule violation — and is generally informal. 'Terminated' is the formal HR term and sounds official; it can cover both firing and layoffs. 'Laid off' specifically means the job ended because of company-wide cuts, restructuring, or financial trouble, not the employee's fault. 'Let go' is the softest, most euphemistic phrase and can overlap with both firing and layoffs, but the speaker usually avoids being specific. For example, a manager might say 'We had to let Cyrus go' to avoid saying 'We fired Cyrus.' A newspaper article would say 'The factory laid off 200 workers,' not 'fired 200 workers,' because the cause was economic, not disciplinary.

fired ↗laid offsacked ↗terminated ↗let go

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • get fired
  • be fired from
  • wrongful firing

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The adjective 'fired' is formed from the verb 'fire' (meaning to discharge or set alight) plus the past-participle / adjective-forming suffix '-ed'. The verb 'fire' itself comes from Old English 'fȳr' (referring to the element of fire), which traces back to Proto-Germanic '*fōr' and ultimately Proto-Indo-European '*péh₂wr̥'. The earliest adjectival use was for ceramics heated in a kiln (14th century). The 'dismiss from a job' meaning emerged in the late 19th century as an American English metaphorical extension of 'shooting someone out of a position' — as if firing a bullet from a gun.