fire extinguisher

plural fire extinguishers · alternative fire-extinguisher

1. A device that can be used to put out a fire. Usually a portable cylinder filled with carbon dioxide, dry powder or water, in the latter two cases with some means of pressurising the cylinder to expel the contents.

   Two fire extinguishers are fitted in the kitchen and one above a corner cupboard in the vestibule.

   1960 March 28, “Restaurant Cars for British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 166

   2 more examples

   Have a good-sized pitcher of water nearby, and bring the fire extinguisher in from the kitchen, just in case.

   2004, Victoria Moran, “December 27: The Burning Bowl”, in Younger by the Day: 365 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Body and Revitalize Your Spirit, [San Francisco, Calif.]: HarperSanFrancisco, →ISBN, page 428

   The captain did a safety drill. This covered where the emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was located, how to make a mayday call, and where the fire extinguishers were. A crew member demonstrated how to put on an immersion suit. These survival suits are waterproof full-body garments with a hood and integral three-finger gloves and boots. They are bulky and hard to get on but far more likely to save your life in cold water than a lifejacket.

   2025 October 21, Rose George, “‘I knew in my head we were dying’: the last voyage of the Scandies Rose”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms: extinguisher