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• 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.

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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.

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brush fire British  

noun

1. a fire in bushes and scrub

2. a minor local war

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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

The California Highway Patrol received a call at approximately 8:21 a.m. about a brush fire on the right side of the southbound 405 Freeway at the westbound 101 Freeway.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

A brush fire erupted Wednesday afternoon along the 405 Freeway, threatening homes, a university and the Getty Center, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

The northbound Glendale Freeway was closed briefly for a small brush fire Wednesday afternoon while, to the south, fire crews battled a blaze in Orange County that quickly consumed more than 200 acres.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Reports in French media say the blaze, near one of the parking lots at the airport, originated from a brush fire and then spread to a building.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Word of Katherine not feeling well gets around quicker than a brush fire in August.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

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

From Washington Post

First is the traditional American hankering for outdoor life, perhaps heightened by the brush-fire spread of urbanization.

From Time Magazine Archive

Now that the cold war is over, Third World conflicts no longer figure as potential victories or losses for the U.S. or the Soviet Union, ironically making the world safer for brush-fire wars and insurrections.

From Time Magazine Archive

But then the Charger's job is no more modern than its look; the turboprop plane is a jungle fighter, a volunteer for the brush-fire wars of today's world.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Here's a basket, 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 Twilight Stories by Margaret Sidney