fire drill

noun

: a practice drill in extinguishing fires or in the conduct and manner of exit in case of fire

Examples of fire drill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The campus was busy with lots of meetings and a fire drill. USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024 Have a home fire escape plan and practice at-home fire drills. Makiya Seminera, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2024 Taiwan’s military carried out live fire drills on the island’s southern coast on Monday, firing missiles from armored cars to destroy targets close to shore in a simulation of repelling invading forces. Sha Hua, WSJ, 7 July 2023 At school, in the 1980s, Moss and his classmates participated in rapture drills, akin to earthquake or fire drills. Emma Goldberg Desiree Rios, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2024 In an attempt to protect students, active shooter drills have become as normal as the fire drills many parents remember going through as school children. Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 8 Dec. 2023 Other failures included not having a night watchman or roving patrol on the boat and failing to conduct sufficient fire drills as required by law. Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 7 Nov. 2023 After the fire, New York began requiring automatic sprinklers in tall buildings and fire drills in large workplaces. Lola Fadulu, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023 Three officials responsible for the fire drill are set to face charges of negligence, local media reported. Time, 29 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fire drill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fire drill was in 1861

Dictionary Entries Near fire drill

Cite this Entry

“Fire drill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fire%20drill. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fire drill

noun
: a practice drill in putting out fires or in getting out of a building in case of fire

More from Merriam-Webster on fire drill

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