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

Some argued that the reservoir, which had been drained to repair its cover, led to lower water pressure and hampered the firefight.

From Los Angeles Times

“He’s calm as a monk in a firefight,” Craig Renaud says, “but a cocktail party in Brooklyn is absolutely terrifying.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

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

After briefly stumbling from a Matias combination, an unfazed Smith came roaring back in a fifth-round firefight.

From BBC