firebreak

American  

[fahyuhr-breyk] / ˈfaɪərˌbreɪk /

noun

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

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firebreak British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of firebreak

First recorded in 1890–95; fire + break

Example Sentences

A firebreak between Union Corner and the external wall of the station is thought to have stopped Sunday's inferno spreading further.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

But, in a letter to the chair of Parliament's Transport Committee, Ruth Cadbury, Larkinson said the facts which later came to light meant the slot could no longer be considered an effective firebreak.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

Ota testified he wasn’t concerned about covering up the firebreak as there was already live brush on each side.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 27, 2025

In the 1980s, the city developed a mile-long set of 13-story buildings called the Shirahige Higashi—an urban firebreak that also manages to provide housing for 7,000 families.

From Slate • Jan. 14, 2025

About four o’clock I was playing hopscotch in the firebreak with three other girls.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston