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

Etymology

Origin of firefighter

First recorded in 1900–05; fire + fighter

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

But a Cal Fire firefighter stepped in on Tuesday, escorting a staff member to the property so she could release the critically endangered birds back into the wild.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The Fire Brigades Union say there have been difficulties recruiting on-call firefighters, and a steep fall in overall firefighter numbers.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

"There's thunder, that's good," said a firefighter at the command post set up in the town's sports hall.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

The California firefighter and Army reservist had recently bought a house in Coronado with his wife before he was deployed to the Philippines in 1941.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Keegan was the name of the firefighter who had found him in the box where people surrendered babies.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Salamina Deputy Mayor Thodoris Zannis said firefighters were trying to keep the fires from burning over a mountain on the island and forming one major wildfire.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Soldiers have been providing logistical support, including water distribution, to assist firefighters and specialist responders.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Military helicopters backed by tractors on the ground hauled water Sunday to help firefighters tame Belgium's largest modern-day wildfire, which mushroomed in size since breaking out two days earlier in a hard-to-access nature reserve.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

More than 100 firefighters and two water bombing planes battled through the night to contain a major forest fire that broke out on Friday on the Croatian island of Dugi otok, threatening many homes.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

There are interviews with the kid’s tearful parents, firefighters, rescue workers, and experts on wells—because there are experts on everything these days.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman