wildfire

[ wahyld-fahyuh r ]
/ ˈwaɪldˌfaɪər /

noun

a highly flammable composition, as Greek fire, difficult to extinguish when ignited, formerly used in warfare.
any large fire that spreads rapidly and is hard to extinguish.
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 a bacterium, Pseudomonas tabaci.
Pathology Obsolete. erysipelas or some similar disease.

Origin of wildfire

before 1000; Middle English wildefire, Old English wildfȳr. See wild, fire

Example sentences from the Web for wildfire

British Dictionary definitions for wildfire

wildfire
/ (ˈwaɪldˌfaɪə) /

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

Idioms and Phrases with wildfire

wildfire

see spread like wildfire.