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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
No injuries were reported, but crews had to use ground ladders to reach fire escapes and assist unhoused persons that were exiting the vacant structure.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 26 Dec. 2024
One suspect had scaled a fire escape and climbed through a window before letting in the two others, according to the New York Post and NBC 4.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 25 Nov. 2024
Two Moldovans were arrested at a Milwaukee hotel at 11 pm following a tip; one suspect in Boston tried to flee a raid on his girlfriend’s apartment and had to be rescued from the fire escape.
—Garrett M. Graff, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2017
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
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Word History
First Known Use
1725, in the meaning defined above
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 15 Jan. 2025.
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
Nglish: Translation of fire escape for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fire escape
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