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)

see also:

like wildfire

Examples of wildfire in a Sentence

The recent wildfires were made worse by the strong winds.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nearly two months later, support is still pouring in for victims of the wildfires that ripped through southern Colorado earlier this summer. — Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Under a 2019 law brought by Newsom to protect utilities from bankruptcy, the companies automatically are deemed to have acted prudently if regulators sign off on their wildfire prevention plan. — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Overall, the main headlines for fall weather are that the very strong El Niño will bring rain relief to the southern tier of the nation while wildfires continue to burn into early fall in the Northwest, Pastelok said. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026

This summer the European Union has seen more than 1,750 wildfires. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing wildfire

• like 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