firefighter

or fire fight·er

[ fahyuh r-fahy-ter ]
/ ˈfaɪərˌfaɪ tɛr /

noun

a person who fights destructive fires.

Origin of firefighter

First recorded in 1900–05; fire + fighter

OTHER WORDS FROM firefighter

fire·fight·ing, noun, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for firefighting

  • But it hadn't rained in seven months, and the country's firefighting budget had been downscaled over several decades.

    Israel's Inferno |Fania Oz-Salzberger |December 5, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
  • Firefighting is a police function, accomplished by the Fire Police.

    Area Handbook for Albania |Eugene K. Keefe
  • The apparatus for firefighting was of the type most city people have forgotten.

    The Girl and Her Religion |Margaret Slattery

British Dictionary definitions for firefighting (1 of 2)

firefighting
/ (ˈfaɪəˌfaɪtɪŋ) /

noun

  1. the occupation of attempting to control and extinguish fires
  2. (as modifier)firefighting equipment
the practice of reacting to urgent problems as they arise, as opposed to planning for the future

British Dictionary definitions for firefighting (2 of 2)

firefighter
/ (ˈfaɪəˌfaɪtə) /

noun

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