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brush fire

 - 4 dictionary results

brush fire

–noun
1. a fire in an area of bushes, shrubs, or brush, as distinct from a forest fire.
2. any small but persistent problem, as within a large organization, a department of a government, or between nations: border skirmishes and other international brush fires.

Origin:
1770–80, Americanism

brush-fire

[bruhsh-fahyuhr]
–adjective
limited in scope, area, or importance, as some labor disputes or local skirmishes.
Also, brushfire.


Origin:
1945–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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brush·fire also brush fire   (brŭsh'fīr')   
n.  
  1. A fire in low-growing, scrubby trees and brush.

  2. A relatively minor crisis.

adj.  Minor enough to involve only small-scale mobilization of counteracting resources: brushfire wars.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

brush fire

fire in vegetation that is less than 1.8 m (6 feet) tall, such as grasses, grains, brush, and saplings. See wildland fire.

Learn more about brush fire with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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