dry fire

verb

To discharge a weapon without ammunition in the chamber.

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Meanings

verbdry fire (third-person singular simple present dry fires, present participle dry firing, simple past and past participle dry fired)

present singular third person dry fires · participle present dry firing · participle past dry fired · past dry fired · alternative dryfire · alternative dry-fire

  1. engineeringTo discharge a weapon without ammunition in the chamber.

    Rob finished cleaning his empty gun then pointed it at an imaginary target and dry fired.

    2009, Debra Parmley, A Desperate Journey, →ISBN, page 32
  2. archeryTo draw and release a bow without an arrow loaded.
Cite this entry
APA

dry fire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dry%20fire

MLA

“dry fire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dry%20fire. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dry fire,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dry%20fire.

Source: dry fire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.