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

Etymology

Origin of fire drill

First recorded in 1890–95

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

All his classmates had pushed in their chairs, and he was the only one left in the classroom in the middle of a fire drill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

The fire drill for us lawyers began in earnest that day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025

When the rain came that day, the other gardeners all ran in the same direction, as if in a fire drill.

From "Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman