firefighter

American  

[fahyuhr-fahy-ter] / ˈfaɪərˌfaɪ tɛr /

Or fire fighter

noun

• firefighters
  plural

1. a person who fights destructive fires.

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firefighter British  

/ ˈfaɪəˌfaɪtə /

noun

1. a person who fights fires, usually a public employee or trained volunteer

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• firefighting
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• firefighters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of firefighter

First recorded in 1900–05; fire + fighter

Explanation

A firefighter is someone whose job involves investigating and putting out accidental blazes. If your gas stove ignites a towel and you can't put out the flames, call the firefighters! The word fireman is older than firefighter, which first appeared in the late 19th century, and for a long time it was much more commonly used. These days, it's more accurate to use firefighter, since men and women both work for fire departments battling fires. Also, the word perfectly describes the job itself, fighting dangerous fires.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

firefighter firefighters

Ryder told the president that he wants to be a firefighter someday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

The women roped in two others to complete the team, firefighter Lauren Kerr-McGregor and powerlifter and pro wrestler Kara Weir.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

But a Cal Fire firefighter stepped in on Tuesday, escorting a staff member to the property so she could release the critically endangered birds back into the wild.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

This approach is also being increasingly adopted overseas - as Queensland firefighter Damian Hatfield found out.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

“And on her wrist she has the Yarmouth firefighter badge. Most firefighters in town have one.”

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

“Nobody likes political consultants or lawyers. They like firefighters and nurses and teachers,” Republican strategist Matt Rexroad agreed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Much-needed rain brought some respite Monday to firefighters on their fourth day battling Belgium's worst wildfire in a century, which has scorched vast expanses of nature reserve on the German border.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Military helicopters backed by tractors on the ground hauled water Sunday to help firefighters tame Belgium's largest modern-day wildfire, which mushroomed in size since breaking out two days earlier in a hard-to-access nature reserve.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

Fire officials said nearly 200 firefighters were working to extinguish the flames on the island of Salamina and keep them from converging, Greek media report.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

There was the buzz of static, then the announcer telling everyone that the firefighters were making progress.

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau