extinguisher
Americannoun
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extinguishers
plural
-
a person or thing that extinguishes.
-
an instrument consisting of a cone-shaped cup attached to a handle or the end of a pole, for extinguishing a candle by momentarily closing off the burning wick from the air.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of extinguisher
First recorded in 1550–60; extinguish + -er 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Too late, a UN security guard rushes in with a fire extinguisher.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
With black smoke belching high into the sky, Lobga staggers some 90 seconds before collapsing in flames and a U.N. security guard rushes over blasting an extinguisher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
With the right extinguisher, you might be able to stop it quickly.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
He said he came back with a fire extinguisher and tried to fight the fire.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
What kind of car would have a fire extinguisher? she thinks to herself.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Two weeks later, I noticed the fire and safety team walking through the prison, holding clipboards, testing alarms, and inspecting extinguishers.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
They will look into possible overcrowding, access to emergency exits from the basement and whether there were fire extinguishers.
From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026
Boyhood hustles included delivering advertising fliers to homes, redeeming bottles for money and filling fire extinguishers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
Firefighters carrying extinguishers could be seen patrolling the area, as sparks flew from the rotors of at least three lanterns, AFP journalists at the event saw.
From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025
“But we didn’t care. Everybody went to the truck and got their fire extinguishers and put it out.”
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
