bonfire
Americannoun
-
bonfires
plural
-
a large fire built in the open air, for warmth, entertainment, or celebration, to burn leaves, garbage, etc., or as a signal.
-
any fire built in the open.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bonfire
1375–1425; late Middle English bone fire, i.e., a fire with bones for fuel
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.
See Examples For:
On Saturday, a bonfire, from which almost 500 pallets were removed during the week, was set on fire beside a road in the Bogside area.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Derbyshire says people can also contact police if they see anyone behaving in a dangerous way, such as lighting a bonfire that is likely to spread to a large area.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
It is not the first time Moygashel's annual bonfire has featured a contentious display.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The bonfire, in Moygashel in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, has featured other controversial displays in the past.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
She gestures at the towering bowl of twisted metal that once held the bonfire.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
People are advised to take home litter, avoid smoking and using barbecues, and not to light campfires or bonfires.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“We’ve been burning our bonfires and our traditions for like forever.”
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
Some bonfires across Northern Ireland were lit ahead of the Orange Order's Twelfth of July parades.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
I wasn’t alone and joined hundreds of others, spending a damp, chilly night trying to keep warm and sleep near one of the bonfires in St. James’s Park.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
The air was musty with far-off bonfires, sharp with the edge of a twilight chill.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
