fire escape

noun

: a device for escape from a burning building
especially : a metal stairway attached to the outside of a building

Examples of fire escape in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Tapia then tried to escape down the fire escape of the same window, but fell onto a second-floor landing, where even more drugs fell out of his pocket, the feds allege. John Annese, New York Daily News, 26 Nov. 2024 In one particularly impressive moment, Li Fong fights off a bully in an alleyway by swinging off a fire escape ladder and flipping off the wall. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024 Paterson, 70, and his stepson, 20, came across five unidentified suspects, who were possibly teenagers, climbing a fire escape on Second Avenue near East 96th Street shortly before 9 p.m., police sources told the New York Post. Landon Mion, Fox News, 5 Oct. 2024 Nash tried to escape via a fire escape but retreated when police spotted him, Yorna said. Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 30 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for fire escape 

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fire escape was in 1725

Dictionary Entries Near fire escape

Cite this Entry

“Fire escape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fire%20escape. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

fire escape

noun
: a stairway or ladder that provides a means of escape from a building in case of fire

More from Merriam-Webster on fire escape

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!