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An explosion of prematurely ignited fuel or of unburned exhaust gases in an internal-combustion engine.
(noun)
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The backward escape of gases or cartridge fragments when a gun is fired.
(noun)
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A fire started in the path of an oncoming fire in order to deprive it of fuel and thereby control or extinguish it.
(noun)
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To explode in the manner of or make the sound of a backfire.
(verb-intransitive)
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To start or use a backfire in extinguishing or controlling a forest fire.
(verb-intransitive)
American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.