fireman

[ fahyuhr-muhn ]

noun

, plural fire·men.

1. a person employed to extinguish or prevent fires; firefighter.
2. a person employed to tend fires; stoker.
3. Railroads.
   1. a person employed to fire and lubricate a steam locomotive.
   2. a person employed to assist the engineer of a diesel or electric locomotive.
4. U.S. Navy. an enlisted person assigned to the care and operation of a ship's machinery.
5. British Mining. fire boss.
6. Baseball. relief pitcher.

fireman

/ ˈfaɪəmən /

noun

1. a man who fights fires, usually a public employee or trained volunteer Gender-neutral formfirefighter
2. 1. (on steam locomotives) the man who stokes the fire and controls the injectors feeding water to the boiler
   2. (on diesel and electric locomotives) the driver's assistant
3. a man who tends furnaces; stoker
4. Also calleddeputy a mine official responsible for safety precautions US equivalentfire boss
5. navy a junior rating who works on marine engineering equipment
6. informal.
   any employee who is dispatched to deal with trouble at short notice

Gender Note

See -man.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fireman¹

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

Example Sentences

When she briefly went outside, another fireman saw her.

From Los Angeles Times

Falling masonry instantly killed three firemen in Cheapside Street and 11 firemen and fire salvage men who were tackling the flames at the rear of the building in Warroch Street.

From BBC

The cast is drawn from all walks of life: there are experienced actors, models-turned-actors, a fireman and an aerospace engineer.

From Los Angeles Times

A fireman first class, he worked next to the boilers that powered the World War I-era ship.

From Los Angeles Times

One spill getting out of the modified recliner that serves as his bed required a 911 call and three firemen to help get him back on his feet.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• firefighter