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

They hail from all walks of life: among them are a fireman, a carpenter, a nurse and a journalist.

From BBC

When she briefly went outside, another fireman saw her.

From Los Angeles Times

He recalled how his family were forced to move out of their “fireman’s flat” in Easterhouse in the following weeks, moving to Carntyne.

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

Related Words

• firefighter