as in blaze
a fire in a wild area (such as a forest) that is not controlled and that can burn a large area very quickly
The recent wildfires were made worse by the strong winds.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wildfire
So when the next flood or wildfire or earthquake comes, the resources won’t be there.
—
Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Concerns for an active wildfire season are likely to remain high as the winter wet season comes to an end.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2026
Here's what to know about the wildfires.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
This raises water supply concerns and wildfire worries for the upcoming dry season.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wildfire
Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Concerns for an active wildfire season are likely to remain high as the winter wet season comes to an end.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2026
Here's what to know about the wildfires.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
This raises water supply concerns and wildfire worries for the upcoming dry season.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wildfire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wildfire
Noun
-
The refinery lost water supply and steam as firefighters tried to put out the blaze.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The blaze, known as the Deep Fire, was reported early Friday in the Pollock Pines area of El Dorado County.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Carlsbad’s late first-quarter surge became an inferno in the second, with the Lancers going on a 5-0 run over the final 12 minutes of the half to take an 8-3 lead.—
Clark Fahrenthold,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Between September 2024 and December 2025, enrollment in FAIR surged 43% as insurers pull back from California following a series of catastrophic wildfires, including last year’s $40 billion Los Angeles inferno.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Tengden said the aircraft is designed for reconnaissance, precision strikes, communications relay, emergency rescue, and forest fire prevention.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Dec. 2025
-
The forest fire sequence is a good example.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Like actual bedtime stories at a sleepover, or campfire ghost stories repeated with a flashlight under your chin, Bedtime Stories creates images that can lodge in your brain for a decade and hold up to revisits.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
-
To stop the malting, the barley was heated and dried by burning mesquite wood, infusing it with a savory, almost barbecue-like smokiness as opposed to the campfire and iodine notes associated with peat.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Late Thursday night into early Friday morning, residents in several neighborhoods in Havana took to the streets, banging pots and pans and, in some cases, lighting bonfires to block major roads in the capital — a sign of escalating frustration.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
After thousands of Iranian demonstrators were killed in a January crackdown, Shima Razavi Gacek wanted to keep alive her family's favorite springtime holiday traditions but didn't feel like throwing her annual house party with a roaring bonfire ahead of Nowruz -- the Persian New Year.—
AMY TAXIN,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wildfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wildfire. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
