wildfire
Americannoun
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any large fire in brush, forests, or open spaces that spreads rapidly and is hard to extinguish.
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a highly flammable composition, such as Greek fire, difficult to extinguish when ignited, formerly used in warfare.
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sheet lightning, unaccompanied by thunder.
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the ignis fatuus or a similar light.
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Plant Pathology. a disease of tobacco and soybeans, characterized by brown, necrotic spots, each surrounded by a yellow band, on the leaves and caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas tabaci.
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Pathology Obsolete. erysipelas or some similar disease.
noun
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a highly flammable material, such as Greek fire, formerly used in warfare
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a raging and uncontrollable fire
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anything that is disseminated quickly (esp in the phrase spread like wildfire )
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lightning without audible thunder
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another name for will-o'-the-wisp
Etymology
Origin of wildfire
First recorded before 1000; Middle English wildefire, Old English wildfȳr; equivalent to wild + fire
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.
The warmth and premature melt mean the state’s forests will dry out a month or more earlier than usual, Gleick said, which increases the risk of wildfires.
From Los Angeles Times
In addition to these are wildfires that break out naturally because of dry conditions in forests and farmlands.
From BBC
Parts of the national park were badly damaged last summer by what landowners described as the biggest wildfire in Scottish history.
From BBC
Desai said, as seeming moments of recovery in the past year or so were squashed by the L.A. wildfires, then last summer’s immigration crackdown and associated civil unrest.
From Los Angeles Times
After stints on other reality shows such as “Big Brother U.K.,” he began speaking out about local California issues, including wildfire recovery and environmental policy.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
