Jump To:

• brush fire
  brush fire

  noun

  a fire in an area of bushes, shrubs, or brush, as distinct from a forest fire.
• brush-fire
  brush-fire

  adjective

  limited in scope, area, or importance, as some labor disputes or local skirmishes.

brush fire

¹ American  

noun

1. a fire in an area of bushes, shrubs, or brush, as distinct from a forest fire.

2. any small but persistent problem, as within a large organization, a department of a government, or between nations.

   border skirmishes and other international brush fires.

---

brush-fire ² American  

[bruhsh-fahy^uhr] / ˈbrʌʃˌfaɪər /

Or brushfire

adjective

1. limited in scope, area, or importance, as some labor disputes or local skirmishes.

---

brush fire British  

noun

1. a fire in bushes and scrub

2. a minor local war

---

Etymology

Origin of brush fire¹

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80

Origin of brush-fire²

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brush fire brush-fire

A brush fire erupted on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties amid sizzling temperatures Thursday afternoon, prompting evacuation warnings near Lake Piru.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

A brush fire had been reported in the Juniper Springs neighborhood of Riverside County at 12:20 p.m. that day, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

A brush fire broke out Monday in the suburbs of Los Angeles, spreading rapidly and prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for thousands of residents.

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

“It was a brush fire, and we were trying to keep it from becoming a dumpster fire,” he said.

From Slate ● May 4, 2026

But this time, it spread fast as a brush fire on a windy day.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

This approach would mimic the brush-fire pattern of the epidemic at the moment.

From Washington Post

Along with paratroopers in red berets who also marched, these troops are part of a mobile strike force that Russia is training to improve its capability for intervening in brush-fire wars around the world.

From Time Magazine Archive

One reason: a brush-fire price war has broken out among the airlines.

From Time Magazine Archive

Fearful of losing the strategic city of Jammu, the Indian high command ordered the drive on Lahore, removing the battle from Kashmir to Pakistan proper, and changing a brush-fire war into a full-scale challenge.

From Time Magazine Archive

Drop ’em in, and I’ll run like a brush-fire through the town and across the old bridge, and hide ’em as safe as a weasel’s nap.”

From The Only Woman in the Town And Other Tales of the American Revolution by Prichard, Sarah J.