"bushfire" means: An uncontrolled fire in a wooded or grassy area; a wildfire.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
bushfire
(Australia, New Zealand) An uncontrolled fire in a wooded or grassy area; a wildfire.
Seen in the wild
Bushfire Cameron Way, Pakenham Status: Under Control Size: Small Resources: 3 6 May 2026, 5:02 am - open 12m From #VIC/CFA via 000 Find on Map > #EMVAlert #incident #Fire #Bushfire
Bushfire Cameron Way, Pakenham Status: Safe Size: Small Resources: 3 6 May 2026, 5:29 am - open 39m From #VIC/CFA via 000 Find on Map > #EMVAlert #incident #Fire #Bushfire
Bushfire Hume Fwy, Wandong Status: Responding Resources: 0 5 May 2026, 5:08 pm - open 1m 41s From #VIC/ESTA via 000 Find on Map > #EMVAlert #incident #Fire #Bushfire
Bushfire on the Way to Adelaide Acrylic On Paper The inspiration for this artwork comes from my experience driving to Adelaide after a bushfire, so this is what I imagine it's like to be in a bushfire. #painting #acry…
Bushfire 2.2Km Nw Of Aireys Inlet Status: Safe Size: 0.01 Ha. Resources: 0 5 May 2026, 5:01 pm - open 41m 56s From #VIC/DEECA Find on Map > #EMVAlert #incident #Fire #Bushfire
Definitions
(Australia, New Zealand) An uncontrolled fire in a wooded or grassy area; a wildfire.
1985, Australian House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates, House of Representatives, Weekly Hansard, Issues 4-6, [http://books.google.com.au/books?id=MBYWAAAAIAAJ&q=%22bushfire%22|%22bushfires%22+-intitle:%22bushfire|bushfires%22+…
"bushfire" means: An uncontrolled fire in a wooded or grassy area; a wildfire.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"bushfire" means: An uncontrolled fire in a wooded or grassy area; a wildfire.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (New Zealand) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
“Bushfire Cameron Way, Pakenham Status: Under Control Size: Small Resources: 3 6 May 2026, 5:02 am - open 12m From #VIC/CFA via 000 Find on Map > #EMVAlert #incident #Fire #Bushfire”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Bushfire Cameron Way, Pakenham Status: Safe Size: Small Resources: 3 6 May 2026, 5:29 am - open 39m From #VIC/CFA via 000 Find on Map > #EMVAlert #incident #Fire #Bushfire”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Bushfire Hume Fwy, Wandong Status: Responding Resources: 0 5 May 2026, 5:08 pm - open 1m 41s From #VIC/ESTA via 000 Find on Map > #EMVAlert #incident #Fire #Bushfire”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Bushfire on the Way to Adelaide Acrylic On Paper The inspiration for this artwork comes from my experience driving to Adelaide after a bushfire, so this is what I imagine it's like to be in a bushfire. #painting #acrylicpainting #abstractpainting #landscape #landscapepainting”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Bushfire 2.2Km Nw Of Aireys Inlet Status: Safe Size: 0.01 Ha. Resources: 0 5 May 2026, 5:01 pm - open 41m 56s From #VIC/DEECA Find on Map > #EMVAlert #incident #Fire #Bushfire”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🇦🇺About Australian & NZ slang slang
Aussie and Kiwi vocabulary — bogan, daggy, brekkie, sheila, bach, jandals — the whole Antipodean lexicon, including outback dialect, surf and beach culture, and Sydney/Melbourne street slang.
See all Australian & NZ slang slang on Slangora.
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Semantically related
- hazard reduction burn68%
(AU) A deliberately lit fire in bush or grassland, under favourable conditions, used to reduce the fuel available for a wildfire.
- bushland68%
(chiefly, AU) An area of land in a natural, uncultivated state; wilderness, open forest.
- go bush67%
(Australia, New Zealand) To abandon one's normal surroundings and live in the bush; to flee into the bush; to revert to a feral nature.
- bushbash65%
(Australia, New Zealand) To travel or build a route straight across country rather than following an established track, typically involving forcing one's way through forest and/or undergrowth.
- bushie65%
(AU, colloquial) Someone who lives in or is familiar with the Australian outback; a bushman or bushwoman.