Meaning & use
fire blanket
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Meaning
nouncountable
A sheet of fire-resistant material used to smother a small fire or wrap around a person whose clothes are burning.
Grammar: Takes an or the: a fire blanket, two fire blankets.
Patterns
- put a fire blanket over something
She smothered the burning pan with a fire blanket.
Every kitchen in the cafe has a fire blanket by the door.
Teachers showed the class how to pull a fire blanket out of its case.
Word forms
| plural | fire blankets |
|---|
Common combinations
- smother with a fire blanket
- He smothered the flames with a fire blanket.
- keep a fire blanket
- Keep a fire blanket in the kitchen.
- pull the fire blanket
- Pull the fire blanket from its holder.
- a fire blanket and extinguisher
- The lab has a fire blanket and extinguisher.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fire extinguisher
- This sprays a substance to put out flames, while a fire blanket smothers them.
- flame-retardant sheet
- This is a technical phrase and may describe material rather than the safety item.
Word family
Commonly confused: fire blanket or fire extinguisher?
fire blanket vs fire extinguisher
An extinguisher is a spraying canister, not a cloth sheet.
Practice
A small pan of oil catches fire in the kitchen. What is the safest way to put it out?
Choose one answer.
A fire blanket smothers the flames without spreading burning oil. Water or moving the pan can make it worse.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fire blanket”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.