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

With the recent fire at the battery facility in Otay Mesa, the fire at the water reclamation plant in Santee and a few brush fires, From the Archives went looking for firefighter pictures and found this photo of a San Diego department fire crew with Aerial Truck No. 1. —U-T Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2024

Investigations said that the fire was accidental, attributing it to an unattended brush fire, according to the release. —Aegis Staff Report, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1954, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1