fire-eater

[ fahyuh r-ee-ter ]
/ ˈfaɪərˌi tər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR fire-eater ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an entertainer who pretends to eat fire.
an easily provoked, belligerent person.
U.S. History. an early and extreme Southern advocate of secession before the Civil War.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of fire-eater

First recorded in 1665–75

OTHER WORDS FROM fire-eater

fire-eat·ing, adjective, noun

Words nearby fire-eater

fire up, fire walking, fire watcher, fire-and-brimstone, fire-cure, fire-eater, fire-engine red, fire-extinguisher, fire-plow, fire-polish, fire-resistant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to fire-eater

wench, fury, siren, hussy, bitch, hellion, carper, detractor, vixen, virago, nag, scold, battle-ax, biddy, harridan, harpy, madcap, termagant, backbiter, porcupine

Example sentences from the Web for fire-eater

British Dictionary definitions for fire-eater

fire-eater

noun

a performer who simulates the swallowing of fire
a belligerent person

Derived forms of fire-eater

fire-eating, noun, adjective
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