firewall
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A fireproof wall designed to prevent the spread of fire through a building or a vehicle.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
fyrwahlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈfaɪɹwɑl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
architecture
A fireproof (or fire-resistant) wall designed to prevent the spread of fire through a building or a vehicle
architecture
A fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle.
computer security
The software that monitors traffic in and out of a private network or a personal computer and allows or blocks such traffic depending on its perceived threat.
verb
intransitivemotor vehicles or aircraftslang
To use maximum engine power or acceleration.
transitivecomputer security
To protect with a firewall.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A fireproof (or fire-resistant) wall designed to prevent the spread of fire through a building or a vehicle
Used this way, firewall is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use firewall
- “He moved the throttle to the firewall.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Other combinations
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What Does It Mean Here?
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.