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.
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Origin of brush fire
An Americanism dating back to 1770–80
Words nearby brush fire
brush border, brush broom, brush catheter, brush cut, brush discharge, brush fire, brush flower, brush off, brush turkey, brush up, brush-fire
Definition for brushfire (2 of 2)
brush-fire
or brush·fire
[ bruhsh-fahyuh r ]
/ ˈbrʌʃˌfaɪər /
adjective
limited in scope, area, or importance, as some labor disputes or local skirmishes.
Origin of brush-fire
First recorded in 1945–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for brushfire
A couple of factors, both internal and environmental, are at play when such rapacious violence spreads like a brushfire.
They had existed beside us, beneath us rather, flaring up like brushfire since the first humanoids left the trees.
The Extinction Parade: An Original Zombie Story by Max Brooks|Max Brooks|January 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for brushfire
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
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