fireboat

American

[fahyuhr-boht] / ˈfaɪərˌboʊt /

noun

a powered vessel equipped to fight fires on boats, docks, shores, etc.

fireboat British

/ ˈfaɪəˌbəʊt /

noun

a motor vessel with fire-fighting apparatus

"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

Etymology

Origin of fireboat

First recorded in 1875–80; fire + boat

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.

The fire destroyed Independent Asphalt Co. and damaged Occidental Fish Company nearby but could have been catastrophic for the waterfront if not for gushers from “the highest powered fireboat in existence,” the Duwamish.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2023

On Tuesday morning more helicopters joined the effort to put out the fire, along with a fireboat sent by Mexico.

From Reuters • Aug. 9, 2022

The document noted that while an Orange County Sheriff’s Department fireboat was sent to search for the spill, its crew lost visibility as the sun set.

From Fox News • Oct. 21, 2021

During a terrifying air raid, a warehouse is set ablaze, and a fireboat is despatched on the Thames.

From The Guardian • Jun. 11, 2020

Docked at the North End waterfront, it was a fireboat, ready to spray tons of ocean water on the many fires that often took place on the wharfs that extended out into the harbor.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

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