Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

firewall

/ˈfaɪ(ə)ɹˌwɔl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.24 in modern English

Syllables
fire-wall
IPA
/ˈfaɪ(ə)ɹˌwɔl/
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle.

noun

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.

noun

A hypothetical phenomenon where an observer falling into a black hole encounters high-energy quanta at or near the event horizon.

noun

An ethical wall; an organizational or legal separation between two entities that might otherwise cause conflicts of interest.

noun

An unwritten agreement among major political parties to refuse to govern or cooperate with national conservative and ultranationalist parties.

verb

To protect with a firewall.

Transitive verb

verb

To block with a firewall.

Transitive verb

verb

To use maximum engine power or acceleration.

Intransitive verb; Slang

Example Sentences

Etymology

From fire + wall. Compare West Frisian brânmuorre, Dutch brandmuur, German Brandmauer, Feuermauer, Swedish brandvägg, brandmur, Icelandic eldvegg. The verb sense for using maximum power or acceleration comes from the engine's firewall being the limit of forward movement of the throttle controls on many simpler vehicles; thus, to get the maximum engine output, one would push the throttle levers or pedal all the way to the firewall. The politics sense is a calque of German Brandmauer.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈfaɪ(ə)ɹˌwɔl/
  • British English: /ˈfaɪə.wɔəl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

firewalls (plural) firewalls (present, singular) firewalling (participle, present) firewalled (participle, past) firewalled (past)

Phrases

Great Firewall of China Chinese firewall balls to the wall

Frequently Paired Words

firestop fire block bulkhead balls to the wall

Questions

How do you pronounce firewall?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfaɪ(ə)ɹˌwɔl/.
What does firewall mean?
A fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle.
Where does firewall come from?
From fire + wall. Compare West Frisian brânmuorre, Dutch brandmuur, German Brandmauer, Feuermauer, Swedish brandvägg, brandmur, Icelandic eldvegg. The verb sense for using maximum power or acceleration comes from the engine's firewall being the limit of forward movement of the throttle controls on many simpler vehicles; thus, to get the maximum engine output, one would push the throttle levers or pedal all the way to the firewall. The politics sense is a calque of German Brandmauer.

How to pronounce firewall

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “firewall”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈfaɪ(ə)ɹˌwɔl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “firewall”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “firewall” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.