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

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

He said because up to 30% of cases in young adults were asymptomatic, the spread of the virus would increase once any firebreak ended.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2024

Hatsue went out into the desert wind and returned with a few scraps of tar paper she’d found blown up against a roll of barbed wire along a firebreak.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson