fire engine

American  

[fahyuhr en-juhn] / ˈfaɪər ˌɛn dʒən /

noun

• fire engines
  plural

1. 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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fire engine British  

noun

1. a heavy road vehicle that carries firefighters and firefighting equipment to a fire

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fire engines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fire engine

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fire engine

Another factor was the lack of a transponder on the fire engine, which would have automatically alerted air traffic controllers that the aircraft and the truck were on a collision course, according to investigators.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

A woman described suffering horrific flashbacks and claimed it had taken 40 minutes for a fire engine to respond to her emergency call.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

It said another factor was the lack of a transponder on the fire engine.

From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026

Another filmed himself checking on his home, and you can see exactly what he sees when he comments “not a fire engine in sight.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

Bongo leaned close to the glass and performed her very best fire engine siren.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate