wildfire
noun
wild·fire
| \ ˈwī(-ə)ld-ˌfī(-ə)r
\
\
Definition of wildfire
1
: a sweeping and destructive conflagration especially in a wilderness or a rural area
2
: greek fire
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)
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
In 2018, Teladoc Health partnered with Blue Shield of California to provide telemedicine services at no additional cost to patients in Paradise, California, a small town incinerated by wildfires. — Damanick Dantes, Fortune, "‘Virtual Care Is the Great Equalizer in Healthcare’, Says Teladoc Health CEO," 11 Sep. 2019 It is thought the event triggered wildfires over 900 miles away, as well as sparking a devastating tsunami. — Rory Sullivan, CNN, "Asteroid as powerful as 10 billion WWII atomic bombs may have wiped out the dinosaurs," 10 Sep. 2019 Donato would use the jury trial’s result to inform his estimate of PG&E’s wildfire costs. — J.d. Morris, SFChronicle.com, "Judge unlikely to let PG&E stop trial over 2017 Tubbs Fire," 10 Sep. 2019 At this point last year, wildfires had burned more than 1.2 million acres in California, hundreds of homes had been destroyed and at least 12 people had been killed. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, "The biggest wildfires currently burning in California," 10 Sep. 2019 The arid conditions make wildfires more likely to ignite and spread, experts say. — Washington Post, "As wildfires rage, Australia’s natural disaster minister doubts man-made climate change is real," 10 Sep. 2019 Opponents said the 420,000-square-feet project will threaten a sensitive environment, place intense development in an area vulnerable to wildfires and damage the character of the Torrey Highlands area along state Route 56. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego approves 11-acre office complex despite opposition," 10 Sep. 2019 The planetary collision triggered wildfires inland, burning forests that were later doused by the devastating waves. — Riley Black, Smithsonian, "What Happened the Day a Giant, Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Hit the Earth," 9 Sep. 2019 Why has there been so many wildfires in the Amazon recently? — NBC News, "Why is the Amazon rainforest important?," 9 Sep. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wildfire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for wildfire
wildfire
noun
English Language Learners Definition of wildfire
: a fire in a wild area (such as a forest) that is not controlled and that can burn a large area very quickly
See the full definition for wildfire in the English Language Learners Dictionary
wildfire
noun
wild·fire
| \ ˈwīld-ˌfīr
\
\
Kids Definition of wildfire
: an uncontrollable fire that destroys a wide area
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