brushfire

adjective

brush·fire | \ ˈbrəsh-ˌfī(-ə)r

\

Definition of brushfire

(Entry 1 of 2)

: involving mobilization only on a small and local scale brushfire border wars

brush fire

noun

Definition of brush fire (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Officials were worried about landslides in west Maui because brush fires during Hurricane Lane three weeks ago wiped out vegetation, Maui County spokesman Rod Antone said. — Jennifer Sinco Kelleher And Audrey Mcavoy, Fox News, "Tropical storm drops light rain as it nears Maui, Big Island," 12 Sep. 2018 Officials were worried about landslides in west Maui because brush fires during Hurricane Lane three weeks ago wiped out vegetation, Maui County spokesman Rod Antone said. — Audrey Mcavoy, The Seattle Times, "Tropical storm drops light rain as it nears Maui, Big Island," 11 Sep. 2018 As flooding hit the Big Island, brush fires broke out in areas of Maui and Oahu susceptible to flames. — Elizabeth Zwirz, Fox News, "Hurricane Lane weakens to tropical storm near Hawaii, but more damage expected," 25 Aug. 2018 Firefighters were quickly able to stop the spread of a small brush fire near Gopher Canyon in Bonsall Saturday. — Pauline Repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Firefighters halt small brush fire in Bonsall," 14 July 2018 State Route 87 was closed about six miles north of Sunflower because of a brush fire Sunday afternoon and traffic was restricted on Interstate 17 north of the Valley because of another fire, authorities said. — Kimberly Rapanut, azcentral, "Brush fire closes SR 87 in both directions, I-17 traffic affected by 2nd fire," 20 May 2018 There was less rain and flooding on the other islands, but Maui contended with the loss of power for thousands and with brush fires that damaged some homes. — Zusha Elinson, WSJ, "After Lane, Hawaii’s Big Island Cleans Up," 26 Aug. 2018 In Santa Barbara County, fire crews were able get a handle on a fast-moving brush fire that broke out Friday in Buellton. — Fox News, "2 more firefighters hurt battling blaze near Yosemite," 21 July 2018 Santa Barbara has a long history of natural disaster, particularly brush fires. — Howard Blume, latimes.com, "Another night of terror and calamity for Santa Barbara County as new destructive fire sweeps through," 8 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brushfire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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brush discharge

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The first known use of brushfire was in 1850

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