first responder
noun
: a person (such as a police officer or an EMT) who is among those responsible for going immediately to the scene of an accident or emergency to provide assistance
Examples of first responder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After first responders tried to save her at the scene, she was taken to Hennepin Healthcare and pronounced dead.
—
Wcco Staff, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
But in the aftermath of a crash in a Tesla vehicle, first responders and others have observed that passengers are unable to operate the door handles and become trapped, a phenomenon that has been tied to at least 15 deaths.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
Newsom, along with California’s two Senators, had spent most of Wednesday in LA with fire survivors and first responders on the anniversary of the raging storm that destroyed so much for so many.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
The Prince of Wales worked as an air ambulance pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 to 2017 and has become a champion for first responders.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for first responder
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Wcco Staff, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
But in the aftermath of a crash in a Tesla vehicle, first responders and others have observed that passengers are unable to operate the door handles and become trapped, a phenomenon that has been tied to at least 15 deaths.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
Newsom, along with California’s two Senators, had spent most of Wednesday in LA with fire survivors and first responders on the anniversary of the raging storm that destroyed so much for so many.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
The Prince of Wales worked as an air ambulance pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance from 2015 to 2017 and has become a champion for first responders.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for first responder
Cite this Entry
“First responder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first%20responder. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
