Definition of "fireman" in English

noun

1. (firefighting) Someone (especially one who is male) who is skilled in the work of fighting fire.

   • For firemen everywhere rescuing cats from trees has been as much a part of the job as tackling blazing buildings.

2. (rail transport, nautical) A person (originally a man) who keeps the fire going underneath a steam boiler (originally, shoveling coal by hand), particularly on a railroad locomotive or steamship.

   • He looked around his cab at his black greasy fireman, saying 'shovel on a little more coal, and when we cross that White Oak Mountain, you can watch Old 97 roll'.
   • (the latter is informal)

3. (rail transport, by extension) An assistant on any locomotive, whether steam-powered or not.

4. (baseball) A relief pitcher (reflecting the figurative analogy of rescuing the situation).

5. (mining, historical) A safety inspector in coal mines.