Skip to content

pompier

firefighter

noun pohm-PYEH Less Common
People & Society Professions

Usage Note

Pompier derives from pompe à incendie (fire pump), the early equipment these workers operated. The feminine form is pompière, increasingly used. In Paris, firefighters (sapeurs-pompiers) are a military corps under the army, unlike most other French cities where they are civilian.

Examples

"Les pompiers sont arrivés rapidement."

Natural Translation

The firefighters arrived quickly.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic