Definition

Noun: 1. A protective screen: A device, typically made of metal mesh or sheet, placed in front of an open fireplace or fire. Its primary purpose is to prevent sparks, embers, or logs from rolling out and to protect people, especially children and pets, from direct contact with the fire. 2. A firebreak: A strip of land that has been cleared of vegetation to act as a barrier to slow or stop the spread of a wildfire, such as a prairie fire or forest fire.

Usage Examples

• As a protective screen:
  • For safety, always use a fireguard when the fireplace is lit.
  • The ornate metal fireguard kept the glowing embers from reaching the carpet.
• As a firebreak:
  • Firefighters worked through the night to create a fireguard to protect the town.
  • The controlled burn was designed to establish a fireguard ahead of the main wildfire.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in safety guidelines and regulations concerning domestic heating.
• In forestry and wildfire management, creating a fireguard is a standard preventative and containment tactic.

Variants and Related Words

• Fire screen (noun): A direct synonym for the protective fireplace device.
• Spark guard (noun): Another term emphasizing the function of catching sparks.
• Firebreak (noun): The more common and specific term for the cleared strip of land intended to stop a wildfire. "Fireguard" is a synonym in this context.

Synonyms

• For the protective screen: Fender, fire screen, spark guard, hearth guard.
• For the cleared land barrier: Firebreak, fuel break, control line.

Related Idioms or Phrases

• To put up/place a fireguard: The standard phrase for deploying the protective screen.
  • Remember to put up the fireguard before you light the fire.

Noun

1. a metal screen before an open fire for protection (especially against flying sparks)
2. a narrow field that has been cleared to check the spread of a prairie fire or forest fire