firebreak

[fahyuhr-breyk]

noun

1. a strip of plowed or cleared land made to check the spread of a prairie or forest fire.

firebreak

/ ˈfaɪəˌbreɪk /

noun

1. Also: fireguard.  fire line. a strip of open land in a forest or on a prairie, to arrest the advance of a fire

2. a measure taken to arrest the advance of anything dangerous or harmful

Word History and Origins

Origin of firebreak¹

First recorded in 1890–95; fire + break

Example Sentences

Think of these firebreaks like mental buffers: they give your mind a chance to process what you've just done, let go of lingering stress and prepare for what's next.

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These are areas where the level of danger means the local fire service is usually not allowed access and the fire is left to burn out on its own, albeit contained by firebreaks.

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"There are teams on either side of a gully cutting into the hillside and cutting down trees to create a firebreak," she explained.

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These vehicles can be used to create firebreaks – using water to soak the ground to help stop fires from spreading further.

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To Dunn, protecting homes seemed within reach because the state had maintained agricultural buffers around cities, helping to serve as firebreaks.

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