What does firehose mean?
A firehose is a thick, strongly built flexible tube used by firefighters to carry water at high pressure from a hydrant, pump, or engine to a nozzle aimed at a blaze. Unlike a garden hosepipe, it is engineered to withstand enormous internal pressure and to move large volumes of water quickly, and it typically couples to standard hydrant fittings so crews can connect it under urgent conditions. Beyond its literal role, the word has taken on a vivid figurative life: in informal English, especially in American business and technology circles, people speak of a 'firehose' of information or describe 'drinking from a firehose' to convey being overwhelmed by an unstoppable flood of data, messages, or news. This metaphor gives the word lasting relevance in an age of information overload, making it useful both as a concrete firefighting term and as an evocative image for excess.
A large, high-pressure hose used by firefighters to convey water from a hydrant or pump to a nozzle.
"Two firefighters gripped the firehose as the jet of water hit the flames."
Often written as two words ('fire hose'); both spellings are accepted.
(Informal) To drench or spray something or someone with a powerful stream of water, as if using a firehose.
"Protesters were firehosed by police during the demonstration."
Figurative uses also occur, e.g. 'firehosed with criticism'; informal register.
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple hoses.
"The station stocked spare firehoses in every truck bay."
In tech and media circles, 'firehose' has become shorthand for being overwhelmed — as in Twitter's famously priced 'firehose' feed that delivered every single public post in real time.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of firehose
The word 'firehose' is a straightforward English compound of 'fire', from Old English 'fȳr', and 'hose', from Old English 'hosa', which originally meant a leg covering or stocking before coming to denote a flexible tube for conveying water. Mechanical fire engines and organized brigades emerged in Europe in the seventeenth century, and the earliest fire hoses — made of stitched leather — date from roughly that era, with the compound itself appearing in English as firefighting technology spread. The word belongs to a family of 'fire-' compounds such as 'firefighter', 'fireproof', and 'fireman', all built on the same native Old English root rather than on a classical borrowing.
How firehose is actually used
The noun is standard in both literal firefighting contexts and figurative use. The figurative sense — especially in the idiom 'drinking from a firehose', meaning to be flooded with more information than one can absorb — is common in informal American English, particularly in business, technology, and education writing. The compound is normally written solid ('firehose'), though 'fire hose' as two words is also widely accepted; British usage sometimes favours 'fire hose'.
Easily confused with firehose
A hosepipe is an ordinary garden hose for low-pressure domestic use, while a firehose is a heavy-duty hose designed to carry water at very high pressure.