backfire
/ˈbækˌfɑɪər/ v [I] (HAVE BAD RESULT)Definition
› (of a plan) to have the opposite result from the one you intended: Some hotel owners worry that the idea of attracting more visitors may backfire and make the place less attractive.
(Definition of backfire v (HAVE BAD RESULT) from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
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