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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Recent Examples of wildfire
Lingering economic impacts from the 2025 wildfires were another major concern.
—
City News Service, Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
Incident types are numbered 1-5 — a type 1 incident is a large, complex wildfire affecting people and critical infrastructure, a type 5 incident is a small wildfire with few personnel involved.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
Surging repair costs don’t just hit victims of wildfires that destroyed roughly 12,000 structures in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
The state Public Utilities Commission would have to consider the audits’ findings before agreeing to raise customer rates to cover even more wildfire spending.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wildfire
City News Service, Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
Incident types are numbered 1-5 — a type 1 incident is a large, complex wildfire affecting people and critical infrastructure, a type 5 incident is a small wildfire with few personnel involved.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
Surging repair costs don’t just hit victims of wildfires that destroyed roughly 12,000 structures in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026
The state Public Utilities Commission would have to consider the audits’ findings before agreeing to raise customer rates to cover even more wildfire spending.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wildfire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wildfire
Noun
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In the weeks since the blaze, Abu-Namous has received an outpouring of support from the Smithville community.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
14 Apr. 2026
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An arsonist set a restaurant on fire, injuring two people trapped by the flames, before setting blazes outside a nearby synagogue and funeral home, police said Tuesday.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Sheriff’s Office had recused itself from the investigation days after the inferno.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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At one point, eight tower ladders surrounded the building, shooting water onto the inferno from all directions, limiting the flames from spreading to other buildings.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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The forest fire sequence is a good example.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If all the pieces of fuel that size and smaller — think grass, pine needles and twigs — are dry, a forest becomes much more fire-prone, says Stevens-Rumann, who likens wildfire likelihood to building a campfire.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
15 Apr. 2026
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There will be a dinner, remarks from longtime staff members and a campfire program.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Since there is a limited number of pits, be sure to book in advance—a reservation gets you a bonfire kit (which includes wood) as well as a s'more kit.—
Acacia Gabriel,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
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The final bonfire is a bloodbath.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wildfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wildfire. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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