fire drill

American  

noun

• fire drills
  plural

1. a practice drill for a company of firefighters, the crew of a ship, etc., to train them in their duties in case of fire.

2. a drill for pupils in a school, employees in a factory, etc., to train them in the manner of exit to be followed in case of fire.

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fire drill British  

noun

1. a rehearsal of duties or escape procedures to be followed in case of fire

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fire drills
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of fire drill

First recorded in 1890–95

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fire drill

The residents had urged a fire drill to identify possible weaknesses in the emergency response plans for the district.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

In my five years across three different prisons, I cannot recall a single authentic fire drill.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

That’s fine if the move is methodical, not fine if a health crisis turns it into a fire drill, forcing quick and painful decisions on what treasures to discard without a proper farewell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

At least that was the case on a recent morning when he popped into a Zoom interview from his phone in the midst of an unexpected company fire drill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2024

On Monday we have a fire drill which means first recess is late so they get to stay out for part of second recess.

From "Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine

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