wildfire

noun

wild·​fire ˈwī(-ə)ld-ˌfī(-ə)r 

1

: a sweeping and destructive conflagration especially in a wilderness or a rural area

2

: greek fire

3

: a phosphorescent glow (such as ignis fatuus or fox fire)

4

: a destructive leaf-spot disease of tobacco caused by several strains of a bacterium (Pseudomonas syringae)

Phrases

like wildfire

: very rapidly

the news spread like wildfire

Examples of wildfire in a Sentence

The recent wildfires were made worse by the strong winds.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, there's a significant difference between containing and controlling a wildfire. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025

That day Lahaina, the cultural heart of West Maui, became ground zero of America’s deadliest wildfire in more than a century. —Josh Green, Time, 30 Oct. 2025

British fire crews have been hampered by the presence of unexploded bombs when dealing with wildfires sparked during military training sessions. —Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 29 Oct. 2025

Radical, whose co-founders previously worked on Amazon’s Prime Air drone program, envisions Evenstar one day assisting with long-term wildfire monitoring. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing wildfire

• spread like wildfire

Rhymes for wildfire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar

Kids Definition

wildfire

noun

wild·​fire ˈwī(ə)l(d)-ˌfī(ə)r 

: an uncontrollable fire that destroys a wide area