fire and forget

noun

A kind of missile guidance system which does not require further control after launch, and can hit its target without the launcher being in line of sight of the target.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounfire and forget (uncountable)
  1. uncountablegovernmentA kind of missile guidance system which does not require further control after launch, and can hit its target without the launcher being in line of sight of the target.
  2. attributiveuncountablecomputingThe practice of transmitting or raising something, such as an event, and then proceeding without checking for any result or response.

    Post is a “fire and forget” where the UI thread work is performed asynchronously; Send is synchronous in that the call blocks until the UI thread work has been performed.

    2014, Richard Blewett, Andrew Clymer, Pro Asynchronous Programming with .NET, page 25
    1 more example

    An event aggregator facilitates a fire-and-forget model of communication. The object triggering the event doesn't care if there are any subscribers. It just fires the event and moves on. A mediator, though, might use events to make decisions, but it is definitely not fire and forget.

    2013, Addy Osmani, Developing Backbone.js Applications, page 175
adjectivefire and forget (not comparable)
  1. not comparableNot requiring further control, feedback, or response after an initial action, launch, etc.

Translations

Finnish ammu ja unohda
  • ammu ja unohdamissile guidance system
Polish system „odpal i zapomnij”
  • system „odpal i zapomnij”missile guidance system
Russian систе́ма самонаведения
  • систе́ма самонаведения (sistéma samonavedenija)missile guidance system
Cite this entry
APA

fire and forget. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fire%20and%20forget

MLA

“fire and forget.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fire%20and%20forget. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fire and forget,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fire%20and%20forget.

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