put out a fire
The phrase "put out a fire" can be both literal, involving extinguishing flames, and figurative, referring to solving urgent problems.
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Definition
B1Emergency Response
(literal)To extinguish flames, stopping them from burning.
Example
- Firefighters quickly arrived to put out the fire in the building.
- She used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire in the kitchen.
B2Workplace
(figurative, informal)To resolve an urgent problem, especially one caused by someone else's mistake or negligence.
Example
- The IT team had to put out a fire when the server went down unexpectedly.
- He spent the morning putting out fires after the system crash.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "put out a fire":
fight firesput outfire outsnuff outstub outstamp outtake firedraw firestomp outfire siteopen fireescape fireflame outreturn fireblow outcatch firecold firedamp downfire brigadehold firefire servicepull someone's chestnuts out of the fireback fireset on fire