fire engine

[ fahyuhr-en-juhn ]

/ ˈfaɪər ˌɛn dʒən /

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See synonyms for fire engine on Thesaurus.com

noun

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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Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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See also fire truck (def. 2). Compare ladder truck.

Origin of fire engine

First recorded in 1670–80

Words nearby fire engine

firedog, fire door, firedrake, fire drill, fire-eater, fire engine, fire-engine red, fire escape, fire extinguisher, firefight, firefighter

How to use fire engine in a sentence

Our Toniebox was pink, but you can select from a spectrum of six choices, including fire engine red, sky blue, grass green, purple, and gray.
Toniebox review: Screen-free entertainment that’s music to kids’ ears|Tony Ware|July 28, 2021|Popular-Science
Clara Young Kim places her camera tightly to reveal that a fire engine is as battered as it is shiny.
In the galleries: Rejuvenating the obsolete into unconventional art|Mark Jenkins|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
It’s like paying for a fire engine even in years when there’s no fire.
Reshaping COVID, Capitalism and Tech With Bill Gates|Nick Fouriezos|December 9, 2020|Ozy
An ambulance and fire engine responded, along with additional police.
After D.C. firefighter shot and wounded on the job, department expresses frustration at violence in city|Peter Hermann|November 24, 2020|Washington Post

But what is there more irresponsible than playing with the fire of an imagined civil war in the France of today?
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The cameraman was reporting on the factory catching fire when the inevitable happened.
Fireworks Factory Explodes in Colorful Burst|The Daily Beast Video|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Lady Edith is so sad that her sadness nearly set the whole damned house on fire.
‘Downton Abbey’ Review: A Fire, Some Sex, and Sad, Sad Edith|Kevin Fallon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The jet engine instantly brought two advances over propellers: it doubled the speed and it was far more reliable.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Maybe Mary is being more realistic about a second marriage—but is it too much to ask for a little fire?
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means|Katie Baker|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
"A camp-fire would hardly flash and die out like that, Sarge," he answered thoughtfully.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
She got up and stood in front of the fire, having her hand on the chimney-piece and looking down at the blaze.
Confidence|Henry James
The fire had been heaped over with earth—to screen it from prying eyes, I suppose, while the good work went on.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
But, as the keel of the boats touched bottom, each boat-load dashed into the water and then into the enemy's fire.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The men, whose poniards his sword parried, had recourse to fire-arms, and two pistols were fired at him.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter

British Dictionary definitions for fire engine

fire engine

noun

a heavy road vehicle that carries firefighters and firefighting equipment to a 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

fire engine

Origin of fire engine

Words nearby fire engine

Words related to fire engine

How to use fire engine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fire engine