Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fire-breathing

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.24 in modern English

Syllables: fire-breath-ing
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

That expels fire from the mouth and nostrils.

adj

That emits or belches forth fire.

Literary

adj

caustic, vitriolic or scathing.

Example Sentences

"a fire-breathing dragon"
"Medea for the loue of Iaſon, taught him how to tame the fire breathing braſſ feeted Bulls, and kill the mighty dragon that kept the golden fleece[.]"
"No man could shake a finger at Beowulf. All the days of his life he had sought the path of right, escaped traps, killed foes, and ruled fairly. Now it was time for him to stand up to the fire-breathing worm."
"Then the bane of that people, the fire-breathing dragon, was mad to attack for a third time."
"The deadly fire-breathing Cannon roar, Sending destructive Heralds thro' the Field."
"a fire-breathing rant"

Etymology

From fire + breathing.

Usage

Literary

Inflected Forms

fire breathing (alternative) firebreathing (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

dragonbreath firebreath firebreather

Questions

What does fire-breathing mean?: That expels fire from the mouth and nostrils.
Where does fire-breathing come from?: From fire + breathing.

How to pronounce fire-breathing

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “fire-breathing”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “fire-breathing”.
Repeat and practice — Say “fire-breathing” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.