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

Orange County firefighters battled a brush fire Saturday that prompted evacuation warnings for some communities in the Carbon Canyon area of Brea. —Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026

In 2017, a mylar balloon was blamed for hitting a power line in San Diego, California, and starting a small brush fire, Fox 5 reported. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026

Wildfire in western Broward Meanwhile, the NEXT Weather team is monitoring a brush fire in the Everglades in western Broward County that has burned about 9,200 acres and is now 75% contained. —Lissette Gonzalez, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026

Here’s what actually happened in those hours that turned a manageable brush fire into one of the most destructive wildfire events Georgia has seen. —Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 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