backfired
v.v. to have the opposite result of what you wanted. You use this when a plan or trick fails and causes problems for the person who tried it.
v. to produce an adverse or unintended consequence that is the opposite of what was desired. Intransitive — does not take a direct object.
His plan to surprise her backfired when she arrived home early.
The company's aggressive marketing campaign backfired, leading to a public boycott instead of increased sales.
The politician's attempt to discredit his opponent backfired spectacularly when the leaked documents were proven to be forgeries, damaging his own reputation beyond repair.
The verb is intransitive and often followed by a prepositional phrase starting with 'on' to indicate the person affected.
The plan backfired himThe plan backfired on himBackfire is intransitive; you must use the preposition 'on' to show who was negatively affected by the result.