bushfire

American

[boosh-fahy^uhr] / ˈbʊʃˌfaɪər /

noun

an uncontrolled fire in the trees and bushes of scrubland.

bushfire British

/ ˈbʊʃˌfaɪə /

noun

an uncontrolled fire in the bush; a scrub or forest fire

"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

Etymology

Origin of bushfire

First recorded in 1865–70; bush ¹ + fire

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.

"They were 40 degree days in the bushfire as well," she adds, "so it would have been very hot inside the container."

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Another bushfire near the small town of Walwa crackled with lightning as it radiated enough heat to form a localised thunderstorm.

From Barron's • Jan. 11, 2026

Police said one person had died in a bushfire near the town of Longwood, about two hours' drive north of state capital Melbourne.

From Barron's • Jan. 11, 2026

"Prepare now and enact your bushfire survival plan. If you are in an area of forecast catastrophic fire danger, leave early to an area with a lower fire risk."

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

The schools were an ever-spreading network from the south stretching northward, on our heels like a bushfire.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023