free-fire zone

[ free-fahyuhr ]

noun

1. an area in which military units have prior clearance to fire at will on any person or object encountered.

Word History and Origins

Origin of free-fire zone¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

A Ukrainian ambassador argued that Russia should be punished for bombing Ukraine’s civilian airports and using its airspace as a free-fire zone.

From Washington Post

Many, perhaps most, in Medellin revile him as a homicidal fanatic who turned the town into a free-fire zone.

From Los Angeles Times

The main highway from Lysychansk to Bakhmut, a city in Donetsk province about 30 miles to the southwest, was already a Russian free-fire zone a month ago, forcing residents and resupply convoys to take a back-country path to the area.

From Los Angeles Times

The war transformed Ukraine from a breadbasket into a free-fire zone.

From Washington Post

The U.S. military, during the invasion of Iraq from Kuwait, created a six-mile-wide free-fire zone that killed hundreds if not thousands of Iraqis.

From Salon