WILDFIRE Definition & Meaning

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wildfire

[ wahyld-fahyuhr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any large fire in brush, forests, or open spaces that spreads rapidly and is hard to extinguish.
a highly flammable composition, such as Greek fire, difficult to extinguish when ignited, formerly used in warfare.
sheet lightning, unaccompanied by thunder.
the ignis fatuus or a similar light.
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.
Pathology Obsolete. erysipelas or some similar disease.

wildfire

/ ˈ�ɲ�ɪ��ˌ�ڲ�ɪə /

noun

a highly flammable material, such as Greek fire, formerly used in warfare
1. a raging and uncontrollable fire
2. anything that is disseminated quickly (esp in the phrase spread like wildfire )
lightning without audible thunder
another name for will-o'-the-wisp

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of wildfire¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English wildefire, Old English �ɾ��ڲ�̄��; equivalent to wild + fire

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Idioms and Phrases

see spread like wildfire .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“With more frequent wildfires, there are more acres of burned chaparral dominated by poodle-dog bush,” Lewis said.

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Studies have found that particulate pollution known as PM 2.5, which is released by vehicles, industrial smokestacks and wildfires, can be attributed to as many as 200,000 excess deaths each year.

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ULA’s tax is paid by sellers, which may explain why Mayor Karen Bass suggested suspending it after the wildfires.

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The public is being urged to avoid lighting fires outdoors over concerns they could spread bringing a risk of wildfires due to the warm, dry conditions.

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As Los Angeles communities recover from the devastating wildfires, the city is particularly reliant on imported goods, Seroka said.

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

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