WILDFIRE Definition & Meaning

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wildfire

[ wahyld-fahyuhr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any large fire in brush, forests, or open spaces that spreads rapidly and is hard to extinguish.
a highly flammable composition, such as Greek fire, difficult to extinguish when ignited, formerly used in warfare.
sheet lightning, unaccompanied by thunder.
the ignis fatuus or a similar light.
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.
Pathology Obsolete. erysipelas or some similar disease.

wildfire

/ ˈ�ɲ�ɪ��ˌ�ڲ�ɪə /

noun

a highly flammable material, such as Greek fire, formerly used in warfare
1. a raging and uncontrollable fire
2. anything that is disseminated quickly (esp in the phrase spread like wildfire )
lightning without audible thunder
another name for will-o'-the-wisp

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of wildfire¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English wildefire, Old English �ɾ��ڲ�̄��; equivalent to wild + fire

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Idioms and Phrases

see spread like wildfire .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The public is being urged to avoid lighting fires outdoors over concerns they could spread bringing a risk of wildfires due to the warm, dry conditions.

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As Los Angeles communities recover from the devastating wildfires, the city is particularly reliant on imported goods, Seroka said.

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This year, stories have touched on the California wildfires, the upside-down plane crash in Toronto and President Trump visiting disaster zones.

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At a wildfire relief event Feb. 9, Taiwanese dignitaries, California politicians and Arcadia firefighters posed for a photo with a giant check made out to a fledgling foundation.

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Even before Jan. 7, Park was raising alarms about the threat of wildfires, often as the loudest voice on the council supporting the fire department’s budget requests.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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