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
Explanation
A wildfire is an uncontrolled blaze, especially one that ignites rural areas with a lot of trees and dry brush. Factors like drought, unusually warm weather, and development can contribute to bigger wildfires. Wildfires are a natural part of many forest lifecycles, but human activity and climate change have made these conflagrations more frequent and dangerous. Unextinguished campfires, lightning strikes, and power lines can all ignite a fire that spreads and becomes a wildfire, given dry enough conditions. The biggest U.S. wildfire, which burned acres of the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico, devastated an area larger than New York City. In Old English, a wildfire was a wilde fyr.
Vocabulary lists containing wildfire
Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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Earth Science - Introductory
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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.
It is a large part of the brand’s front-facing image, and to that end, Zegna is partnering with California State Parks to help with wildfire recovery in Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
It's been a happy ending for the eggs of an elusive bird that were just inches from the flames of a large wildfire earlier this year.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
She asked whether they could use their technology and know-how to engineer something that could similarly save lives in the event of wildfire flames.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
Runoff from wildfire burn areas or bacteria such as E. coli could enter sinkholes connected to Roaring Springs Cave and reach the water supply.
From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026
The red blob marking the wildfire was a long way off from her house, but what if the winds changed?
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
