wildfire

noun

1
: a sweeping and destructive conflagration especially in a wilderness or a rural area
2
3
: a phosphorescent glow (such as ignis fatuus or fox fire)
4
: a destructive leaf-spot disease of tobacco caused by several strains of a bacterium (Pseudomonas syringae)
Phrases
like wildfire
: very rapidly
the news spread like wildfire

Examples of wildfire in a Sentence

The recent wildfires were made worse by the strong winds.
Recent Examples on the Web The Sacramento Bee’s Ishani Desai wrote about new research finding that rampant wildfire smoke, fueled by climate change, may be hurting the health of Tahoe and other treasured lakes. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024 The wildfire presented no threat to any laboratory facilities or operations and had moved away from the site, Lawrence Livermore spokesperson Paul Rhien said in a statement to The Associated Press early Sunday. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 June 2024 The wildfire was near the Lawrence Livermore laboratory’s Site 300 southwest of Tracy, Cal Fire said in a social media post late Saturday. NPR, 2 June 2024 But when the 2020 wildfires started pumping thick plumes of ugly black smoke into the southern California sky, the 41-year-old Los Angeles resident began to wheeze. Linda Carroll, TIME, 30 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for wildfire 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wildfire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wildfire was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wildfire

Cite this Entry

“Wildfire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wildfire. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

wildfire

noun
: an uncontrollable fire that destroys a wide area
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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