brush·fire
ˈbrəsh-ˌfī(-ə)r 
: involving mobilization only on a small and local scale
brushfire border wars
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
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 Aug. 2025
Ronnie Villanueva, the Los Angeles Fire Department’s interim chief, told The Times that his firefighters were on high alert for brush fires after months of light rainfall left heaps of dry vegetation ready to serve as kindling.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
Wess Roley, 20, allegedly set a brush fire on Canfield Mountain before opening fire on first responders.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
Firefighters had responded to reports of a brush fire at Canfield Mountain, north of Coeur d’Alene, at around 1:30 p.m., at which point someone started shooting at them.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 1 July 2025
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Noun
Firefighters were dispatched to a report of a brush fire on I-95 South between Exits 19 and 18 around 12:21 p.m. on Friday, according to Assistant Chief Brian Meadows of the Westport Fire Department.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 Aug. 2025
Ronnie Villanueva, the Los Angeles Fire Department’s interim chief, told The Times that his firefighters were on high alert for brush fires after months of light rainfall left heaps of dry vegetation ready to serve as kindling.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
Wess Roley, 20, allegedly set a brush fire on Canfield Mountain before opening fire on first responders.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
Firefighters had responded to reports of a brush fire at Canfield Mountain, north of Coeur d’Alene, at around 1:30 p.m., at which point someone started shooting at them.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for brushfire
Cite this Entry
“Brushfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brushfire. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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