fireman

[ fahyuhr-muhn ]

noun

, plural fire·men.

1. a person employed to extinguish or prevent fires; firefighter.
2. a person employed to tend fires; stoker.
3. Railroads.
   1. a person employed to fire and lubricate a steam locomotive.
   2. a person employed to assist the engineer of a diesel or electric locomotive.
4. U.S. Navy. an enlisted person assigned to the care and operation of a ship's machinery.
5. British Mining. fire boss.
6. Baseball. relief pitcher.

fireman

/ ˈfaɪəmən /

noun

1. a man who fights fires, usually a public employee or trained volunteer Gender-neutral formfirefighter
2. 1. (on steam locomotives) the man who stokes the fire and controls the injectors feeding water to the boiler
   2. (on diesel and electric locomotives) the driver's assistant
3. a man who tends furnaces; stoker
4. Also calleddeputy a mine official responsible for safety precautions US equivalentfire boss
5. navy a junior rating who works on marine engineering equipment
6. informal.
   any employee who is dispatched to deal with trouble at short notice

Gender Note

See -man.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fireman¹

1620–30 for sense “gunner”; fire + -man

Example Sentences

Fireman, for instance, has a couple of tax-losing leisure activities that have traditionally been scrutinized as possible hobbies.

From ProPublica

A fireman came in on a stretcher, an older man, wearing the uniform of a unit from Jersey City across the river.

From Washington Post

The cheers that went up when a fireman was taken from a window, placed on a gurney and rolled away.

From Washington Post

He didn’t have typical kid dreams—of growing up to become a fireman, doctor, or movie star.

From The Daily Beast

Eventually, he leaves the dog in the care of another fireman and we go back, discussing the fire and the dog.

From The Daily Beast

In fact, he would survive it, working as a volunteer fireman in London during the blitz.

From The Daily Beast

The backup-man stops stroller traffic on the sidewalk, another fireman is road guard.

From The Daily Beast

My cousin Al is a Navy veteran, a former EMT, and now a fireman in New York City.

From The Daily Beast

He wanted to go into the Army and then be a police officer and then be a fireman.

From The Daily Beast

The engineer and fireman stood leaning out over the closed lower half of the engine-room door.

From Project Gutenberg

Again the fireman reflected, for there was nothing hasty about this excellent creature.

From Project Gutenberg

Under Mr. Van Britt's directions the engineer and fireman of the pilot engine brought tools and the break was repaired.

From Project Gutenberg

The fireman—'e's a real 'andsome man—I can tike to that sort myself.

From Project Gutenberg

But the driver and fireman were beyond the range of their skill.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• firefighter