firefight

noun

fire·​fight ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌfīt How to pronounce firefight (audio)
1
a
: a usually brief intense exchange of fire between opposing military units
b
: a hostile confrontation that involves gunfire
2

Examples of firefight in a Sentence

a firefight between police and bank robbers
Recent Examples on the Web And the Bedouin people living in the area suddenly and unexpectedly found themselves in the middle of a firefight. Majd Al-Waheidi, NPR, 5 May 2024 With the border nearly secured on Tuesday — even as rocket attacks from Gaza continued and some firefights broke out — the scale of the horror unleashed on towns and villages near Gaza was rapidly coming into focus. Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2023 Sunday’s firefight appeared to be the first direct engagement between the U.S. and Houthi forces since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants crossed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and seizing 240 hostages. Evan Halper, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2023 Having to document firefights and military pushback in her own backyard, however, has left her not just weary but haunted. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for firefight 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'firefight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of firefight was in 1899

Dictionary Entries Near firefight

Cite this Entry

“Firefight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firefight. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.

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