Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

fire truck

American  
[fahyuhr truhk] / ˈfaɪər ˌtrʌk /

noun

  1. ladder truck.

  2. (loosely) fire engine.

Etymology

Origin of fire truck

First recorded in 1930–35; fire + truck 1

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.

Homendy added that the runway safety system ASDE-X, designed to track aircraft and ground vehicles, did not generate an alert before the crash because the fire truck was not equipped with a transponder.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

The two Air Canada pilots killed when a plane crashed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport have been identified as Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Media reports said investigators were probing whether airport traffic controllers were distracted by a separate odor issue on a United Airlines flight -- the emergency to which the fire truck was responding.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

The fire truck is on its side, surrounded by debris, wreckage and warped metal.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

The fire truck balloon hovers and bobs behind her.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.