fireguard

[ fahyuhr-gahrd ]

/ ˈfaɪərˌgɑrd /

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noun

a person trained in fire prevention and safety: We're looking for volunteer fireguards for Sunday's performance.

a protective framework of wire in front of a fireplace; a fire screen.

a strip of cleared land made to check the spread of a forest or prairie fire; a firebreak.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of fireguard

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; fire + guard

Words nearby fireguard

firefighter, firefighting, fireflood, firefly, fire gilding, fireguard, fire hall, fire hat, firehorse, fire hose, firehouse

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

How to use fireguard in a sentence

Officials give the most detailed domestic directions about the fireguard; only they do not give the fireguard.
Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens|G. K. Chesterton
"There's a big wire fireguard coming to make the children safe," replied her stepmother, easily.
Not Quite Eighteen|Susan Coolidge
Scissors and matches must not be left lying about, and a fireguard must be fixed in position so that it cannot be disturbed.
The Nervous Child|Hector Charles Cameron
It does not see that they have got a fire; it only punishes them for not having a fireguard.
Eugenics and Other Evils|G. K. Chesterton

He had been plowing a double fireguard around the premises that morning and his face and clothes were gray with dust.
Winning the Wilderness|Margaret Hill McCarter

British Dictionary definitions for fireguard

fireguard

/ (ˈfaɪəˌɡɑːd) /

noun

Also called: fire screen a metal panel or meshed frame put before an open fire to protect against falling logs, sparks, etc

a less common word for firebreak

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