firebreak
noun
fire·break
ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌbrāk 
: a barrier of cleared or plowed land intended to check a forest or grass fire
Examples of firebreak in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ever since 1945, wartime leaders have not considered nuclear weapons usable, have not deployed them interchangeably with conventional weapons, and have maintained clear firebreaks to escalation.
—
Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 25 Apr. 2022
The fire plague kept moving north, and eventually crossed the highway like a forest fire jumping a firebreak.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
These habitats differed in their vulnerability to wildfires, producing a vast mosaic of natural firebreaks, which experts say affected the regularity, speed and strength of wildfires.
—Curtis Abraham, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2023
Firefighters now use their bulldozers, meant to forge firebreaks, to churn up dirt instead, getting three or five or seven feet below the surface to expose the underground fire and fight it there.
—David Wallace-Wells, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for firebreak 
Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 25 Apr. 2022
The fire plague kept moving north, and eventually crossed the highway like a forest fire jumping a firebreak.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
These habitats differed in their vulnerability to wildfires, producing a vast mosaic of natural firebreaks, which experts say affected the regularity, speed and strength of wildfires.
—Curtis Abraham, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2023
Firefighters now use their bulldozers, meant to forge firebreaks, to churn up dirt instead, getting three or five or seven feet below the surface to expose the underground fire and fight it there.
—David Wallace-Wells, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for firebreak
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'firebreak.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Firebreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firebreak. Accessed 27 Sep. 2024.
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firebreak
noun
fire·break
-ˌbrāk
: a barrier of cleared or plowed land intended to stop the spread of a forest or grass fire
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