firefight

[ fahyuh r-fahyt ]

/ ˈfaɪərˌfaɪt /

noun

an exchange of gunfire between two opposing forces, especially a skirmish between military forces.

Nearby words

firecracker flower, firecrest, firedamp, firedog, firedrake, firefight, firefighter, firefighting, fireflood, firefly, fireguard

Origin of firefight

First recorded in 1895–1900; fire + fight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for firefight

What often is forgotten—and what Beck could probably stand to remember—is that the massacre was, technically, a firefight.
Glenn Beck Is Now Selling Hipster Clothes. Really.|Ana Marie Cox|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Less than 30 minutes after the firefight started, commandos entered the compound and found the mortally wounded hostages.
Did U.S. Policy Get Luke Somers Killed?|Shane Harris|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is something about a firefight at night, something about the mechanical elegance of an M-60 machine gun.
War Is Hell and Such Good Fun|Don Gomez|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The day after the assault, ISAF announced that forces had stumbled upon the dead women after a firefight with insurgents.
Obama's Pentagon Covered Up War Crimes in Afghanistan, Says Amnesty International|Nico Hines, Sami Yousafzai|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The U.S. then contacted the Mexican marines, who did not hesitate, engaging Beltran and his gunmen in a 90-minute firefight.
For Mexico’s Marines, An Epic Cartel Bust With Another Tragedy in Mind|Michael Daly|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for firefight

firefight

/ (ˈfaɪəˌfaɪt) /

noun

a brief small-scale engagement between opposing military ground forces using short-range light weapons

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