firefighter

American

[fahyuhr-fahy-ter] / ˈfaɪərˌfaɪ tɛr /

Or fire fighter

noun

a person who fights destructive fires.

firefighter British

/ ˈfaɪəˌfaɪtə /

noun

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

"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

Other Word Forms

firefighting noun

Etymology

Origin of firefighter

First recorded in 1900–05; fire + fighter

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On Wednesday, a volunteer firefighter was found dead from suspected exhaustion linked to heat and underlying health conditions, officials told AFP.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Instead, the 28-year-old is now pursuing an abrupt shift: becoming a full-time firefighter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

“But at some point, she’s gonna go home to the small town and find the nice firefighter and realize there’s another option.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026

Having had a cardiac arrest, his life was saved by three of his teammates – a policeman, a firefighter and a flight attendant - who gave CPR for 15 minutes before help arrived.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

So he called the fire department, and they sent a female firefighter up to get me.

From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023