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

The Long Island brush fires that startled communities across Suffolk County over the weekend were likely caused by a person attempting to cook s’mores in their backyard, officials said Monday. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2025

Around the time the Long Island fire started on Saturday afternoon, New York City firefighters responded to a brush fire burning against waterfront in Brooklyn, nearly 70 miles west of the Long Island fire. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2025

Streets and towns in Long Island, New York, were on alert Saturday after brush fires spewed thick smoke into the air. —Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 8 Mar. 2025

Arson investigators are working to determine if he was involved in starting at least two other brush fires in San Diego County, Cal Fire said. —Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2025

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