firefighter

American  

[fahyuhr-fahy-ter] / ˈfaɪərˌfaɪ tɛr /

Or fire fighter

noun

firefighters plural

1. a person who fights destructive fires.

---

firefighter British  

/ ˈfaɪəˌfaɪtə /

noun

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

---

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

Known as Lord Roe of West Wickham, a former firefighter and London Fire Brigade commissioner, he received a life peerage and took his seat in The House of Lords in January.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Within an hour and a half, a San Bernardino County firefighter suffered a terrain-related injury and was hospitalized, said Chloe Castillo, public information officer with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Fire Department on Saturday shared the name of the firefighter killed in the crash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Cindy Fuyard, a 45-year-old nurse, fled her home in the village of Le Vaudoue then returned to give firefighter access to the water in her swimming pool.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

So he called the fire department, and they sent a female firefighter up to get me.

From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

As French firefighters struggle to contain the worst wildfires in living memory with just 12 aerial water bombers, production of the iconic aircraft creaks along half a world away in a Canadian factory.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Three firefighters were injured by unforgiving terrain while battling a wildfire in the San Bernardino Mountains on Monday, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

But Neil Gray, whose ministerial responsibilities include the fire service, said it had been unable to fulfil a "specific request" for water-bombing helicopters and that firefighters on the ground had the resources which were needed.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

In a separate incident, two Cal Fire firefighters were injured when a rock became loose and shifted, Castillo said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

And then she’d probably want to burn a couple dozen candles and make me dance around them, and we all know that would end up with the cute firefighters storming our house again.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon