fireman

[ fahyuh r-muh n ]

/ ˈfaɪər mən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR fireman ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural fire·men.

a person employed to extinguish or prevent fires; firefighter.

a person employed to tend fires; stoker.

Railroads.

a person employed to fire and lubricate a steam locomotive.
a person employed to assist the engineer of a diesel or electric locomotive.

U.S. Navy. an enlisted person assigned to the care and operation of a ship's machinery.

British Mining. fire boss.

Baseball. relief pitcher.

Words nearby fireman

firehouse, fireless, fireless cooker, firelight, firelock, fireman, firenado, firenze, firepan, firepit, fireplace

Origin of fireman

1620–30 for sense “gunner”; fire + -man

usage note for fireman

See -man.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for fireman

My cousin Al is a Navy veteran, a former EMT, and now a fireman in New York City.
The Marine and His Cousin the Firefighter|Maurice Emerson Decaul|September 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He wanted to go into the Army and then be a police officer and then be a fireman.
Curse the Media in Newtown for Doing Too Little, Too Late on Guns|Michael Daly|December 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In this frightening raw video, fireman and bystanders run as the South Tower collapses.
9/11: What We Saw|Alex Berg|September 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
One of my cousins is now a New York City fireman as well, and the fact that we got bin Laden is fantastic.
Rex Ryan: The NFL's Most Outspoken Coach|Marlow Stern|May 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST

The fireman who runs into the burning building to rescue someone has a choice of whether to do so or not.
A Man More Heroic Than Sully|Lee Siegel|March 5, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The fireman was already on the tender, ready to slew over the pipe that would bring a cataract of water down into the reservoir.
Bert Wilson's Twin Cylinder Racer|J. W. Duffield
No fireman, responding to a night alarm, ever dressed quicker.
Fighting in Flanders|E. Alexander Powell
That no engineer or fireman be required to pull any train without a conductor, or a man to take charge of said train.
The Great Strike on the 'Q'|John A. Hall
When a fireman began operations on the engine, I meekly queried where the Express was.
Four Years in Rebel Capitals|T. C. DeLeon
When in 1863 the engine-driver and fireman of a luggage train were fined 15s.
Mr. Punch's History of Modern England Vol. II (of IV),--1857-1874|Charles L. Graves

British Dictionary definitions for fireman

fireman

/ (ˈfaɪəmən) /

noun plural -men

a man who fights fires, usually a public employee or trained volunteerGender-neutral form: firefighter

(on steam locomotives) the man who stokes the fire and controls the injectors feeding water to the boiler
(on diesel and electric locomotives) the driver's assistant

a man who tends furnaces; stoker

Also called: deputy a mine official responsible for safety precautionsUS equivalent: fire boss

US navy a junior rating who works on marine engineering equipment

informal any employee who is dispatched to deal with trouble at short notice

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

fireman

noun, plural fire·men.

Words related to fireman

Words nearby fireman

Origin of fireman

usage note for fireman

Examples from the Web for fireman

British Dictionary definitions for fireman

noun plural -men