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firebreak

American

[fahyuhr-breyk] / ˈfaɪərˌbreɪk /

noun

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

firebreak British

/ ˈfaɪəˌbreɪk /

noun

Also: fireguard. fire line. a strip of open land in a forest or on a prairie, to arrest the advance of a fire
a measure taken to arrest the advance of anything dangerous or harmful

"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

Etymology

Origin of firebreak

First recorded in 1890–95; fire + break

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"We sighed with relief - strikes act like a firebreak."

From BBC • Apr. 13, 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 Caerphilly, Wales, St Martin's School closed temporarily for a "firebreak" period after more than 250 pupils and staff fell ill with a "flu-like illness".

From BBC • Dec. 9, 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

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023