wildfire

American  

[wahyld-fahy^uhr] / ˈwaɪldˌfaɪər /

noun

1. any large fire in brush, forests, or open spaces that spreads rapidly and is hard to extinguish.

2. a highly flammable composition, such as Greek fire, difficult to extinguish when ignited, formerly used in warfare.

3. sheet lightning, unaccompanied by thunder.

4. the ignis fatuus or a similar light.

5. Plant Pathology. a disease of tobacco and soybeans, characterized by brown, necrotic spots, each surrounded by a yellow band, on the leaves and caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas tabaci.

6. Pathology Obsolete. erysipelas or some similar disease.

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wildfire British  

/ ˈwaɪldˌfaɪə /

noun

1. a highly flammable material, such as Greek fire, formerly used in warfare

2. 1. a raging and uncontrollable fire

   2. anything that is disseminated quickly (esp in the phrase spread like wildfire )

3. lightning without audible thunder

4. another name for will-o'-the-wisp

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wildfire Idioms  

1. see spread like wildfire.

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Etymology

Origin of wildfire

First recorded before 1000; Middle English wildefire, Old English wildfȳr; equivalent to wild + fire

Explanation

A wildfire is an uncontrolled blaze, especially one that ignites rural areas with a lot of trees and dry brush. Factors like drought, unusually warm weather, and development can contribute to bigger wildfires. Wildfires are a natural part of many forest lifecycles, but human activity and climate change have made these conflagrations more frequent and dangerous. Unextinguished campfires, lightning strikes, and power lines can all ignite a fire that spreads and becomes a wildfire, given dry enough conditions. The biggest U.S. wildfire, which burned acres of the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico, devastated an area larger than New York City. In Old English, a wildfire was a wilde fyr.

Example Sentences

Increasingly frequent wildfire has further stressed their habitat.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

Among the critics is Pratt, a registered Republican, who launched a longshot campaign for mayor in January, on the anniversary of that wildfire that destroyed his home.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Last year, she says, a wildfire swept through 17 days after her goats cleared a residence - and the flames stopped 100 yards from where the goats had done their work.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Runoff from wildfire burn areas or bacteria such as E. coli could enter sinkholes connected to Roaring Springs Cave and reach the water supply.

From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026

So who was having a cookout with a wildfire marching toward them?

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Related Words

• blaze
• conflagration
• flare
• flash
• light
• spark