fire triangle

noun

The three elements necessary and sufficient to sustain a fire: fuel (e.g. wood or petrol/gasoline), oxidizer (e.g. oxygen), and sufficient heat (e.g. reaction temperature or activation energy).

Similar
combustion triangle
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Meanings

nounfire triangle (plural fire triangles)

plural fire triangles

  1. The three elements necessary and sufficient to sustain a fire: fuel (e.g. wood or petrol/gasoline), oxidizer (e.g. oxygen), and sufficient heat (e.g. reaction temperature or activation energy).
  2. The diagram representing these three elements of a fire.
  3. A fire and its three components.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
combustion triangle
Also see
combustion triangle

Origin

From fire + triangle.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish palokolmio
  • palokolmioTranslations
French triangle du feu
  • triangle du feuTranslations
German Verbrennungsdreieck, Feuerdreieck
  • VerbrennungsdreieckTranslations
  • FeuerdreieckTranslations
Italian triangolo del fuoco
  • triangolo del fuocoTranslations
Romanian triunghi de foc
  • triunghi de focTranslations
Spanish triángulo del fuego
  • triángulo del fuegoTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

fire triangle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fire%20triangle

MLA

“fire triangle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fire%20triangle. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fire triangle,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fire%20triangle.

Source: fire triangle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.