firefighter

American  

[fahyuhr-fahy-ter] / ˈfaɪərˌfaɪ tɛr /

Or fire fighter

noun

• firefighters
  plural

1. a person who fights destructive fires.

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firefighter British  

/ ˈfaɪəˌfaɪtə /

noun

1. a person who fights fires, usually a public employee or trained volunteer

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• firefighting
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• firefighters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of firefighter

First recorded in 1900–05; fire + fighter

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Explanation

A firefighter is someone whose job involves investigating and putting out accidental blazes. If your gas stove ignites a towel and you can't put out the flames, call the firefighters! The word fireman is older than firefighter, which first appeared in the late 19th century, and for a long time it was much more commonly used. These days, it's more accurate to use firefighter, since men and women both work for fire departments battling fires. Also, the word perfectly describes the job itself, fighting dangerous fires.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

firefighter firefighters

"A family couldn't make a living from this anymore... Everyone has a full-time job. I'm a teacher, my brother is a firefighter," she said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

“By bringing blood directly to patients in the field, our firefighter paramedics can begin critical treatment sooner and improve outcomes for people experiencing life-threatening emergencies.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Florida firefighter sets record as shortest woman in profession.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

And in an election year, politicians of both parties running to remain in office like to win support from the police and firefighter unions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

“You understand now, why I couldn’t tell you?” he said as we headed to the next funeral—Brendan Wilson, a firefighter who died while saving a family.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds

More than 400 firefighters have been fighting the blaze.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Temperatures in the area were in the mid-90s and winds howled with gusts of up to 35 mph, a less-than-ideal situation for firefighters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Levine oversees the city's financial entities, which include several pension funds for city workers, teachers, police and firefighters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

"We also wish to express our sincere gratitude to the emergency services, gardaí, firefighters and medical personnel who responded to the scene and who have faced such distressing circumstances," the bishop added.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

First responders, Gideon had called them—the firefighters and police that arrived first on a scene and took care of the wounded.

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin

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