Meaning & use
put out fires
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiominformal
To deal with urgent problems or crises, especially in a busy or chaotic situation.
Grammar: Used as an intransitive verb phrase or with a direct object: put out fires (in the office).
Patterns
- put out fires
- put out fires at work
- spend time putting out fires
As a manager, I spend most of my day putting out fires.
We need to focus on planning instead of always putting out fires.
The IT team was putting out fires all night after the system crashed.
phraseidiom
To extinguish burning material, such as a fire.
Grammar: Literal meaning; often used with 'the' or a plural noun: put out the fire, put out fires.
Patterns
- put out a fire
- put out fires
- put out the fire
Firefighters worked for hours to put out the fire.
They used a hose to put out the fires in the building.
Common combinations
- put out fires
- She's good at putting out fires when customers complain.
- spend time putting out fires
- I spent the whole morning putting out fires instead of doing my own work.
- put out a fire
- The fire crew put out the fire quickly.
- constantly putting out fires
- He's constantly putting out fires in the department.
Synonyms and how they differ
- troubleshoot
- More formal and suggests identifying and solving problems systematically, not just reacting to urgent ones.
- deal with crises
- More formal and broader; it can refer to any serious situation, not just urgent day-to-day problems.
Commonly confused: put out fires or put out?
put out fires vs put out
As a phrasal verb, 'put out' can mean to extinguish something or to inconvenience someone; 'put out fires' is a specific idiom.
Practice
What does 'put out fires' mean in a business context?
Choose one answer.
In a business context, 'put out fires' means to deal with urgent problems or crises that need immediate attention. The literal meaning is to extinguish a fire, but that is not the business sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “put out fires”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.