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

"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

Another witness, Keith Hodgson, said he saw smoke and came over to the area at about 12:15 p.m. with his tractor to help with fire control.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2024

The idea that an officer can exercise "fire control" as taught in our service schools, or can personally direct the fire of a number of machine guns, once the action has started, is ridiculous.

From The Emma Gees by McBride, Herbert Wes