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fire-retardant

American  
[fahyuhr-ri-tahr-dnt] / ˈfaɪər rɪˌtɑr dnt /

adjective

  1. able to slow or check the spread of destructive fire.


Etymology

Origin of fire-retardant

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

While large entertainment venues in Bangkok must use fire-retardant and smoke-minimizing materials, that isn’t usually required for restaurants with live music.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 13, 2026

The ferocity of the fire has been blamed on a private contractor’s use of highly-flammable materials including polystyrene foam boards placed over windows and substandard scaffolding netting that failed to meet fire-retardant codes.

From Salon Dec. 15, 2025

Fire-proof doors run from a few hundred dollars into the thousands, and fire-retardant sprinklers can cost tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the system.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 10, 2025

Mitigations included the further covering of the asbestos-containing material, the use of fire-retardant material and the erection of additional fencing.

From BBC Jul. 11, 2025

“But it’s not for a fixed safe, I don’t think. Nothing too big. Maybe something portable. Could be a safe-deposit box, actually. An old one. Or some kind of fire-retardant cabinet.”

From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

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