fire engine

American  

[fahyuhr en-juhn] / ˈfaɪər ˌɛn dʒən /

noun

1. a vehicle equipped for firefighting, now usually a motor truck having a motor-driven pump for shooting water or chemical solutions at high pressure.

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fire engine British  

noun

1. a heavy road vehicle that carries firefighters and firefighting equipment to a fire

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Etymology

Origin of fire engine

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

The Cal Fire engine is part of a strike team from the Tulare Unit in Visalia that was called to Southern California as several fires burned, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

A Cal Fire engine and a Los Angeles city firetruck rolled in, he said, but the crews were outmatched.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2025

Fire engine crews patrolled again overnight and tamed hot spots around the fire’s perimeter.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 5, 2023

Fire engine sirens — a good proxy for the loudness of surrounding soundscapes — are up to six times louder than they were a century ago.

From Washington Post • Sep. 15, 2022

Fire engine, steam, 338. ,, escape, invented by Capt.

From Norfolk Annals A Chronological Record of Remarkable Events in the Nineteeth Century, Vol. 2 by Mackie, Charles