fire engine

American  

[fahyuhr en-juhn] / ˈfaɪər ˌɛn dʒən /

noun

• fire engines
  plural

1. a vehicle equipped for firefighting, now usually a motor truck having a motor-driven pump for shooting water or chemical solutions at high pressure.

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fire engine British  

noun

1. a heavy road vehicle that carries firefighters and firefighting equipment to a fire

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fire engines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fire engine

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fire engine

Dozens of homes stood gutted and abandoned, while a charred fire engine lay among the wreckage nearby, an AFP reporter saw.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Until, that is, the predawn hours Sunday when Bader’s scooter collided with the back of a fire engine.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Another filmed himself checking on his home, and you can see exactly what he sees when he comments “not a fire engine in sight.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

Earlier on Tuesday, a Portuguese fire engine and four vehicles carrying German police arrived on the search site - which is around 3.5 miles from the resort where Madeleine was last seen.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2025

Her lipstick was the color of a new fire engine.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt