firefight

American  

[fahyuhr-fahyt] / ˈfaɪərˌfaɪt /

noun

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

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firefight British  

/ ˈfaɪəˌfaɪt /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of firefight

First recorded in 1895–1900; fire + fight

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

firefight

Both men were hurt again but there would be no finish for either, as it was the bell that called the end of a brilliant firefight.

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026

The fact that six-and-a-half decades have passed with barely a comparable firefight between Cuban and US troops, either during the Cold War or afterwards, shows how rare it is.

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026

Rockwell said additional fire crews from the Bureau of Land Management and San Bernardino County had been called in to assist with the firefight.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2025

Instead, they described the night as pure chaos, struggling to keep ahead of a fire that quickly turned into a major urban conflagration, driven by erratic, hurricane-force winds that grounded aircraft early in the firefight.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2025

While I’m sure that no first lieutenant is going to be allowed to start a firefight without consulting superiors, the days when only senior officers had the big picture are over.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman