Definition of Drinking From The Firehose

A metaphor used to describe the overwhelming nature of trying to absorb a large amount of information quickly. It is often used in the business context to describe the challenge of learning a new job or process quickly.

Example: The new hire joined the company's software engineering team, and quickly felt like he was drinking from the firehose. He had to learn a new tech stack and the change management process to make changes to the company's codebase.

Variations: drinking from the fire hose, drinking from a fire hose


Usage of "Drinking From The Firehose" by Country

Business English is used in many different countries around the world. Some of the words and phrases listed on this site will be understood everywhere Business English is used, but some words and phrases are only used in specific countries. The map below shows where "Drinking From The Firehose" is most commonly used.

Word Usage Map

Learn More About "Drinking From The Firehose"

"Drinking From The Firehose" is in the top 30% most popular words looked up on this site.

"Drinking From The Firehose" is used in the workplace during meetings or emails.

The definition for "Drinking From The Firehose" was last updated in 2023.

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Business English Quiz

Question: What does "Calendar Invite" mean?

   (A) When a person wants to meet with you next week.
   (B) An email sent to schedule a meeting with the option to either accept or decline the meeting at the scheduled time.
   (C) When a person has available time on their calendar to meet with you.
   (D) When a person does not have any time to meet with you.

Answer: Find out the right answer here.

About This Site

Jargonism is a Business English dictionary. You can learn about words and phrases that are commonly used in the workplace like Circle Back, Thought Leader, and Offsite. We also have a Word of the Day, which is a daily Business English vocabulary word that is commonly used in the workplace.

On this site, we also have templates on how to communicate effectively at work, such as requesting PTO, declining a promotion, and taking a sick day.

Word of the Day

Date: 04/26/2024

Word: Close It Out

Definition: To mark something as completed.

Example: This task has been fixed, so let's close it out within the task tracker.

Cite This Page

"Drinking From The Firehose." Jargonism.com Dictionary, https://jargonism.com/words/1672. Accessed 04/26/2024.