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

The project also includes two helicopter landing zones, vegetation clearing to reduce wildfire risks and areas where trees and other vegetation have been thinned to help slow the spread of fires and support emergency crews. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 1 Nov. 2026

Hahn said Boise State researchers will contribute to the fight against cancer, help communities further manage water supplies and mountain snowpack, and develop tools to anticipate and mitigate wildfire. — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 30 Oct. 2026

When Cal Fire began advertising a new app for near real-time updates on wildfires and evacuations this month, Instagram users quickly noticed some similarities to another app on their phone. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

And dry forests and parched soils significantly increase the likelihood and severity of wildfires. — Ava Berger, NPR, 29 Oct. 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