drink from a firehose

verb

To be overwhelmed (with work, information, etc.); to be inundated with an unrestricted or unfiltered amount.

Similar
drink from the fire hydrant
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Meanings

verbdrink from a firehose (third-person singular simple present drinks from a firehose, present participle drinking from a firehose, simple past drank from a firehose, past participle drunk from a firehose)

present singular third person drinks from a firehose · participle present drinking from a firehose · past drank from a firehose · participle past drunk from a firehose

  1. idiomaticTo be overwhelmed (with work, information, etc.); to be inundated with an unrestricted or unfiltered amount.

    Synonyms: drink from the fire hydrant

  2. idiomaticTo take a small amount from an enormous, hard-to-manage quantity.

    If we are to be drinking from a firehose, with billions of web pages at our fingertips, then we should possess the skills to manage its flow.

    2004, Anthony G. Wilhelm, Digital Nation: Toward an Inclusive Information Society, page 20

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo be overwhelmed (with work, information, etc.); to be inundated with an unrestricted or unfiltered amount.

Similar
drink from the fire hydrant
Also see
drink from the fire hydrant
Cite this entry
APA

drink from a firehose. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drink%20from%20a%20firehose

MLA

“drink from a firehose.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drink%20from%20a%20firehose. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drink from a firehose,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drink%20from%20a%20firehose.

Source: drink from a firehose on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.