to put out a fire
5
2.5
- phrasal verb
:
apagar un fuego
- Did you put out a fire?
- trying to put out a fire
Examples
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He is trying to put out a fire, not start one.
Blog text (5) -
I was busy putting out a fire.
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We thought we were gonna have to put out a fire.
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I've gotta put out a fire.
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On 14 March 1990, a vehicle of the Corpo de Bombeiros was traveling with its sirens and headlights on to put out a fire.
Academic text (1999) -
The firefighters used hoses to put out a fire that broke out in the warehouse.
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It is important to learn how to put out a fire safely in case of an emergency.
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Using a fire extinguisher, she managed to put out a fire that started in the kitchen.
Synonyms
114
2.0
Make a fire, light, or cigarette stop burning
50
2.4
Stop a flame by breathing on it
31
5.7
To put out a small flame by covering or pinching it
23
4.4
Stop a fire, candle, or other light from burning
20
5.1
To stop a fire or light from burning
11
5.3
To stop a small fire by covering it so it has no air
6
4.7
Stop a flame, candle, or small fire from burning
To put out a fire or light
Antonyms
How Extinguished
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to extinguish a fire' is directly compositional from the phrasal verb 'put out' (put + out) combined with 'fire': 'out' conveys cessation/extinguishing and 'put' expresses causing a state. This motion/causation + particle pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows a standard English phrasal-verb construction, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Put out a fire comes from the simple action of stopping a flame, like covering a candle, blowing on a lamp, or pouring water on burning wood. The image of put out a fire—making the flame go 'out'—is why the phrase means 'to stop it from burning'.