wildfire

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a large, uncontrolled fire that spreads rapidly through vegetation or wild land

   Dry winds drove the wildfire across thousands of acres of forest.

2. 2
   noun

   something that spreads with extraordinary speed, especially news, emotion, or a fashion

   The rumor moved through the school like wildfire.

Inherited from Middle English wilde fyr and Old English wilde fyr, literally 'wild fire.' The literal sense describes an uncontrolled landscape fire; the familiar phrase spread like wildfire extends its speed and reach to information, feeling, and fashion.

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