firebreak

[ fahyuh r-breyk ]
/ ˈfaɪərˌbreɪk /

noun

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

Origin of firebreak

First recorded in 1890–95; fire + break

Words nearby firebreak

fireboat, firebomb, firebox, firebrand, firebrat, firebreak, firebrick, firebug, firebush, firecracker, firecracker flower

Example sentences from the Web for firebreak

  • She crossed the firebreak and rode up over the ridge calling her cheery "Hoo-hoo-hoo!"

    Land of the Burnt Thigh |Edith Eudora Kohl

  • If there were poles, it might be the clearing for a telegraph line to a signal station; if it was broader, a firebreak.

    In the Track of the Trades |Lewis R. Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for firebreak

firebreak
/ (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