brushfire

1 of 2

adjective

brush·​fire ˈbrəsh-ˌfī(-ə)r How to pronounce brushfire (audio)
: 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
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Noun
Payette County deputies and multiple Payette County Fire Departments responded late Thursday afternoon to active brush fires, according to the Payette County Sheriff’s Office. Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2026 Crews are battling a brush fire, dubbed the Jasper Fire, in the Calabasas area on Wednesday morning. Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 27 May 2026 More than 170 firefighters on Wednesday continued battling a brush fire that ignited Tuesday near Interstate 8 in East County and forced evacuations in Campo, a fire official said. Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 May 2026 The blaze is one of several that recently broke out in Southern California, including the largest fire ever recorded on Santa Rosa Island and two brush fires that broke out in Riverside County on Tuesday. Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for brushfire

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1954, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brushfire was in 1850

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Cite this Entry

“Brushfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brushfire. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.

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