fire extinguisher

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noun

a portable container, usually filled with special chemicals for putting out a fire.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of fire extinguisher

First recorded in 1830–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fire extinguisher in a sentence

One security guard reported that the fire extinguisher failed to work when he tried to douse the flames.
Arrests Made in Brazilian Nightclub Inferno|Mac Margolis|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Cuccinelli helped the driver out of the cab of the truck and then went in search of a fire extinguisher.
A Republican Cory Booker?|Justin Green|January 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Tupac was 17 or 18 years old when he stopped me from hitting this guy over the head with a fire extinguisher.
Hip-Hop Star Flavor Flav Talks Dirty|Marlow Stern|May 31, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The cutting contempt of Mrs. James W. Colton's remark was fire-extinguisher sufficient for that night.
The Rise of Roscoe Paine|Joseph C. Lincoln

The fire extinguisher has been developing ever since man learned to fear fire.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various
"Golly," said Ben Ruby, seizing a fire extinguisher from the wall and turning it on the blaze.
The Onslaught from Rigel|Fletcher Pratt
Tell me, do you know where the nearest fire extinguisher is fastened; I remember seeing some around the grounds here?
The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific Exposition|Howard Payson
The value of a fire extinguisher depends upon the amount of carbon dioxide and water which it can furnish.
General Science|Bertha M. Clark

British Dictionary definitions for fire extinguisher

fire-extinguisher

noun

a portable device for extinguishing fires, usually consisting of a canister with a directional nozzle used to direct a spray of water, chemically generated foam, inert gas, or fine powder onto the fire

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012