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definitions

brush-fire

or brush·fire

[bruhsh-fahyuh r]
|

adjective

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

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Nearby words

  1. brush fire,
  2. brush flower,
  3. brush off,
  4. brush turkey,
  5. brush up,
  6. brush-footed butterfly,
  7. brush-off,
  8. brush-on,
  9. brush-tailed phalanger,
  10. brush-tailed possum

Origin of brush-fire

First recorded in 1945–50

brush fire

noun

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

Origin of brush fire

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for brush-fire

  • The other man did say, A pit tea it was she could nt have had a little sight to see that brush-fire ahead.

    The Story of Opal|Opal Whiteley
British Dictionary definitions for brush-fire

brush fire

noun

a fire in bushes and scrub
a minor local war
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012