fire control

American  

noun

Military.

1. technical and sometimes automatic supervision of artillery or naval gunfire on a target, as for range, elevation, etc.

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fire control British  

noun

1. military the procedures by which weapons are brought to engage a target

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Other Word Forms

• fire-control
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fire control

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

"The fire control centre gave us 20 litres of fuel and lent us leaf blowers. Once the season ends, we have to return them," he told AFP, standing before a blackened, ash-strewn stretch of land.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Almost £30m of taxpayers' money has been spent on maintaining an empty fire control centre, which was never used.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2025

These preparations include reinforcing fire control lines around the Eaton and Palisades fires, clearing dry brush away from surviving structures, and staging resources in areas where new fires could ignite.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2025

"We do need to implement better fire control and have more prescribed burns to use up plant fuel. We need to get rid of the old stuff," Gomez said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2024

"Scratch one cruiser," someone in fire control yelped.

From A Question of Courage by Finlay, Virgil