brushfire

1 of 2

adjective

brush·​fire ˈbrəsh-ˌfī(-ə)r 

: involving mobilization only on a small and local scale

brushfire border wars

brush fire

2 of 2

noun

1

: a fire involving low-growing plants (such as scrub and brush)

2

: a minor conflict or crisis

putting out political brush fires

Examples of brushfire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

All evacuation warnings around Brentwood were lifted as crews gained the upper hand on a brush fire that ignited Wednesday afternoon along the 405 Freeway, threatening homes, a university campus and the Getty Center. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Los Angeles firefighters battled a brush fire near the Getty Center in Brentwood on Wednesday afternoon. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

Nevada State Police A fast-moving brush fire that kicked up on a hillside in Northern Nevada just outside Reno on Saturday has exploded to more than 10,000 acres, threatening hundreds of homes. — Jenna Harrison, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Two hundred firefighters planned to work through the night battling a brush fire in Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve that ignited Sunday, prompting warnings to hundreds of residents in the area, before crews halted the fire’s progress. — Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1954, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for brushfire

• admire
• afire
• aspire
• backfire
• esquire
• expire
• haywire
• hellfire
• inquire
• inspire
• newswire
• perspire