Phrase guide

fire at will

phrase · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

phrase

Meaning 1

Fire when ready. As a command, it orders troops to use weapons at their discretion and choose their own targets, allowing the individual soldier a greater freedom of timing the shot with target movement and similar.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, military, politics, war

Examples

  • Fire at will! [imperative]
  • Once we're in the woods, we plan to fire at will. [nonimperative]

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: hold fire

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: foc a discreció! — military command
  • Chinese Mandarin: 自由射擊! /自由射击! (zìyóu shèjī!) — military command
  • Danish: ilden fri — military command
  • Dutch: vuur naar believen! — military command
  • Finnish: tuli vapaa! — military command
  • French: feu à volonté ! — military command
  • German: Feuer frei! — military command
  • Greek: πυρ κατά βούληση! (pyr katá voúlisi!) — military command
  • Italian: fuoco a volontà! — military command
  • Japanese: 発砲許可 — military command
  • Persian: آتش به اختیار! (âtaš be extiyâr!) — military command
  • Polish: strzelajcie bez rozkazu — military command
  • Portuguese: fogo à vontade! — military command
  • Romanian: foc de voie! — military command
  • Russian: огонь по готовности! (ogonʹ po gotovnosti!) — military command
  • Serbo-Croatian: пуцај по вољи! — military command
  • Serbo-Croatian: pucaj po volji! — military command
  • Spanish: ¡fuego a discreción! — military command
  • Swedish: efterhand eld! — military command