Skip to main content
firefighter

firefighter

271 2.1
A person who puts out fires and saves people from danger
  • noun
  • /ˈfaɪərˌfaɪtər/
translation icon : bombero
  • The firefighter quickly put out the blaze and saved the trapped family.
  • police and firefighters
  • volunteer firefighters
  • career as a firefighter

And these two tools working in concert are referred to by firefighters simply as the irons.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The firefighter manifest listed $15,000 in cash that burned up in the fire.

  • And then I became a firefighter and loved being a firefighter.

  • And the firefighters are doing an incredible job.

  • We got the best firefighters ever.

  • I'm a New York City firefighter.

  • His instinct was to order the firefighters out of the building.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Important members of the intervention team for this group were police, firefighters, and other emergency personnel.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Health care workers, firefighters, and police officers find online learning compatible with their dynamic shift schedules.

    Academic text (2009)
  • OK, and you're trying to locate a firefighter inside a smoke filled building.

  • If you're a New York City firefighter, drop what you're doing, report to your company.

Synonyms

fireman
vsfirefighter
75 1.0

A person who puts out fires and rescues people

is the gender neutral term for that same job
rescuer
vsfirefighter
64 1.4

A person who saves people or animals from danger

also puts out fires as a central duty, not only saving others
firewoman
vsfirefighter
1 3.0

A woman who works in a fire department and puts out fires

is the gender neutral term for that same job
ladderman
vsfirefighter
  • Specialized
6.7

A firefighter who carries and uses ladders during emergencies

covers the full job of putting out fires and rescuing people
forest fire fighter
vsfirefighter
2.9

A person who fights fires in forests to protect trees and land

applies to the job in all settings rather than only in forests

Antonyms

34 5.8

A person who illegally sets fire to buildings or other property to damage them

How Experienced

fire chief
  • US
14 2.9
senior
800 2.9
firefighter
271 2.1
trainee
50 2.4

Surface Forms

firefighter singular
firefighters plural

Morphology

firefighter = fire + fighter (transparent) = fire + fight + er

The compound combines 'fire' and 'fighter' (itself 'fight' + '-er') to mean 'a person who fights fires', a direct and regular derivation.

Etymology

The word firefighter is made from fire and fighter, so it means someone who 'fights' fires. That's why a firefighter is a person whose job is to put out fires and rescue people.