Phrasal verb
fire off
Definition
phrasal verb. to send a message or an email very quickly, often without thinking too much about it.
phrasal verb. to dispatch a communication, such as an email or letter, with speed and often in a series; can also refer to the rapid discharge of shots or questions.
Examples
“I need to fire off a quick email to my boss.”
“She sat down at her desk and fired off three replies before her coffee even got cold.”
“The journalist fired off a series of pointed questions, barely giving the spokesperson enough time to formulate a coherent response.”
Examples
simple
“I need to fire off a quick email to my boss.”
contextual
“She sat down at her desk and fired off three replies before her coffee even got cold.”
complex
“The journalist fired off a series of pointed questions, barely giving the spokesperson enough time to formulate a coherent response.”
Usage
usually implies speed, urgency, or a lack of hesitation in the action.
Teaching tip
the metaphor comes from weaponry (firing a gun); use this to explain the sense of speed and 'shooting' messages toward a target.
Pitfall
He fired off to the manager an email.
He fired off an email to the manager.
the direct object (the message) should follow the phrasal verb before the recipient.
Phrasal verb
Particles
off
Separability
optional
Pattern
fire + off + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/fire-off