Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

fire engine

noun
Save Word

Definition of fire engine

: a usually mobile apparatus for directing an extinguishing agent upon fires especially : fire truck

Examples of fire engine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The very first fire engine was actually built by the fire chief, said Freeman. — Linda Gandee, cleveland, "Western Reserve Fire Museum features Westlake department through December," 6 Oct. 2020 Three fire department employees staffed the fire engine and the semitrailer had a single operator, police said. — Amy Lavalley, chicagotribune.com, "2 treated at scene of crash with Chesterton fire truck," 24 Sep. 2020 One of the look book's stars, Isamaya Ffrench (who also oversaw makeup) channeled a 2020 Cyndi Lauper with fire engine red lipstick and her platinum blonde lengths crimped by hairstylist Lyndell Mansfield. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "The 5 Biggest Beauty Moments of London Fashion Week," 23 Sep. 2020 There were no injuries to the driver or passenger of the fire engine. — Madeline Ackley, The Arizona Republic, "Man accused of committing extreme DUI after driving into back of fire truck," 13 Sep. 2020 Meanwhile, the cut of a fire engine raises the specter of past Fire Department losses, including the closure of fire stations. — Alison Dirr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee to lose 120 police officer positions under Mayor Tom Barrett's 'sobering' 2021 proposed budget," 22 Sep. 2020 Dan Dundon and Tim McDevitt volunteered to stay put, hoping to use the fire engine and water resources to protect the resort. — Jake Thomas, oregonlive, "Residents recount terrifying descent of wildfire into Santiam Canyon: ‘It was like hot lava'," 18 Sep. 2020 Maggie Cox said the man's black Chevy Tahoe collided into the back of a fire engine traveling east on Indian School Road. — Madeline Ackley, The Arizona Republic, "Man accused of committing extreme DUI after driving into back of fire truck," 13 Sep. 2020 One person suggested that crews should have used the fire engine to knock the car out of the way. — Teri Webster, Dallas News, "House fire shows why you should never park in front of a hydrant, Plano Fire-Rescue says," 31 Aug. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fire engine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of fire engine

1626, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about fire engine

Time Traveler for fire engine

Time Traveler

The first known use of fire engine was in 1626

See more words from the same year

Statistics for fire engine

Last Updated

19 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Fire engine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fire%20engine. Accessed 29 Oct. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for fire engine

fire engine

noun

English Language Learners Definition of fire engine

: a truck that has equipment for putting out fires

See the full definition for fire engine in the English Language Learners Dictionary

fire engine

noun

Kids Definition of fire engine

: a truck equipped to fight fires

More from Merriam-Webster on fire engine

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fire engine

Comments on fire engine

What made you want to look up fire engine? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

rue

Listen to the pronunciation of rue

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Here Be Dragons: A Creature Identification Quiz

  • monster werewolf photo
  • Which is a synonym of werewolf?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Add Diction

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games