bonfire
Americannoun
-
a large fire built in the open air, for warmth, entertainment, or celebration, to burn leaves, garbage, etc., or as a signal.
-
any fire built in the open.
noun
Etymology
Origin of bonfire
1375–1425; late Middle English bone fire, i.e., a fire with bones for fuel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He obeyed and burned the project files in a bonfire on the beach.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026
With all that said, a bonfire composed of burning laptops is a good summation of 2026’s current flavor of anxiety.
From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026
The track combines the warmth of a beachside bonfire with slick, Afrobeats-soaked grooves.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025
There are no victims—only a bonfire of prominent narcissists.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025
The figure that blocks his path near the edge of the courtyard is transparent, appearing like a mirage in the glow of the bonfire and the gently swaying paper lanterns.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
