Backfire and Flatline

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Backfire verb - To have the reverse of the desired or expected effect.

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Flatline and backfire are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Flatline" instead a verb "Backfire".

Nearby Words: backfired, backfiring

Flatline verb - To stop living.

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Backfire and flatline are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Backfire" instead a verb "Flatline".

But the writers still get this wrong enough that the guy who does the Medical Reviews of House has adopted a catch phrase of "You don't shock a flatline." The defibrillators also have a tendency to backfire, particularly if your name is Lawrence Kutner.

Source: Series / House

Cite this Source

Flatline and Backfire. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 02, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/backfire/flatline

Backfire & Flatline. N.p., 2016. Web. 02 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/backfire/flatline>.

Flatline or Backfire. 2016. Accessed August 02, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/backfire/flatline.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "backfire" and "flatline" have occurred on timeline