brushfire

1 of 2

adjective

brush·​fire ˈbrəsh-ˌfī(-ə)r 

: involving mobilization only on a small and local scale

brushfire border wars

brush fire

2 of 2

noun

1

: a fire involving low-growing plants (such as scrub and brush)

2

: a minor conflict or crisis

putting out political brush fires

Examples of brushfire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Crews in west Miami-Dade are continuing to monitor a large brush fire that broke out on Monday night as the blaze continues to grow in size. —Abby Dodge, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026

Authorities arrested a DeKalb County man under suspicion of setting about 15 brush fires in less than seven hours in the Clarkston area, leaving firefighters rushing in darkness to contain the fast-moving flames in drought conditions. —Reed Williams, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026

What was left of the speedway later was consumed in a brush fire. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026

The brush fire burn is important because Hayes said some trees are harmful to the prairie. —Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1954, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for brushfire

• admire
• afire
• aspire
• backfire
• esquire
• expire
• haywire
• hellfire
• inquire
• inspire
• newswire
• perspire