fireback

[ fahyuhr-bak ]

/ ˈfaɪərˌbæk /

Save This Word!

noun

a piece, lining the rear of a fireplace, usually of cast iron.

the rear of a fireplace.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of fireback

First recorded in 1870–75; fire + back¹

Words nearby fireback

fire apparatus, fire appliance, fire area, firearm, fire away, fireback, fireball, fireballer, fire balloon, firebase, fire beetle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fireback in a sentence

He was finally discovered in the nursery saying good-bye to the two cherubs on the fireback.
The Stronghold|Miriam Haynie
The flame fluttered before the high fireback; the St Bernard sighed in his sleep.
The Good Soldier|Ford Madox Ford
One notices with admiration the beautiful brass andirons and fire set, and with interest the floreated cast-iron fireback.
The Colonial Architecture of Philadelphia|Frank Cousins
There are cannon-balls, and a liliputian fireback with a crown on it.
Chats on Cottage and Farmhouse Furniture|Arthur Hayden

The tap-room of this inn has a generously-planned fireplace with an ancient fireback and dogs.
Old Country Inns of England|Henry P. Maskell

British Dictionary definitions for fireback

fireback

/ (ˈfaɪəˌbæk) /

noun

Also called: reredos an ornamental iron slab against the back wall of a hearth

any pheasant of the genus Lophura, of SE Asia

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