wildfire

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.

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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 Meanwhile in Washington State, an air quality alert continued to affect Chelan and Douglas counties due to smoke associated with regional wildfires. Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025 Winter was supposed to be the quiet period when wildfires die down and researchers like Spada perform instrument maintenance, write grant proposals and go home for dinner. Nina Dietz, Wired News, 27 Sep. 2025 Fading West modular housing development built after the Hawaii wildfires. Bob Woods, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2025 Global warming threatens to not only raise sea levels, increase wildfires and supercharge storms, but also amplify drought and disrupt global agriculture. Roy Scranton, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wildfire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wildfire
Noun
  • Later, when Doyle comes into some mysterious bags of cash, and heads toward the mainland with a bottle of booze, a boat, and one last chance to go out in a blaze of self-immolation, Farrell manages to mix dread and adrenaline into every silent expression.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Social media users posted videos showing the blaze, a huge column of fire and thick black smoke rising above the facility which could be seen from other parts of the city.
    Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • What began as a small brush fire on federal land soon roared into an inferno that would later reignite as the Palisades Fire, scorching more than 200 acres across the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Los Angeles — Nine months after a raging inferno decimated the Los Angeles area, claiming the lives of a dozen people and burning down thousands of homes and businesses, officials have arrested a suspect in Florida on suspicion of arson.
    Josh Campbell, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The inflationary forest fire that many expected to see has yet to ignite.
    George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The only safe way to get real fires was laying gas lines and creating gas burns, without releasing any particles in the air that would potentially cause a forest fire.
    Tomris Laffly, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Tell these jokes to your kids before trick-or-treating, around the campfire at a backyard Halloween party, or write them inside cards to share with at school on October 31.
    Fiona Tapp, Parents, 8 Oct. 2025
  • These adorable 4-ounce Yeti Rambler cups are perfect for a shot of espresso in the morning—and a shot of whiskey by the campfire.
    Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Furious that everyone else had seen this, Leo jumped down from the flatbed trailer, tossed his guitar into the bonfire, and stormed off into the woods.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
  • When the sun began to set, fireworks, bonfires, and candles were lit throughout the city.
    Victoria Flexner, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wildfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wildfire. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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