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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In one incident at its test site in Pendleton, Oregon, a drone fell 160 feet and sparked a brush fire that stretched across 25 acres, as reported by Insider and Bloomberg. —Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 28 Dec. 2022

Residents of a Bandera County subdivison who were advised to flee a brush fire were given the green light to return to their homes late Wednesday afternoon. —Dennis Rudner, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Sep. 2022

In addition to blazes in Siskiyou County that consumed a neighborhood in the town of Weed and left two dead, firefighters were battling a brush fire Monday evening near Rodeo in Contra Costa County. —Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2022

Firefighters on Monday fully contained a brush fire that burned nearly 4,500 acres and destroyed 19 homes, including RVs, in rural East County last week, officials said. —David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2022

In addition to the possible tornado in Arkansas, high winds ahead of the storm system helped fuel a brush fire in Sevier County, Tennessee. —Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 31 Mar. 2022

Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A fast-growing brush fire forced evacuations and the closure of I-5 near Los Angeles on Wednesday as California braces for the dual onslaught of a heat wave and Labor Day weekend travel. —Lauren Hepler, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 Aug. 2022

Flames damaged at least two vehicles and a home, displacing a family of five, when a small brush fire broke out Thursday afternoon near homes and businesses just off Interstate 5 in San Ysidro, authorities said. —Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 June 2022

Several fire departments were called in to battle an extensive Nov. 24 brush fire that ignited on a hillside and came about 75 feet from a house. —Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 3 Dec. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1954, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1