See spread like wildfire in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"forms": [
{
"form": "spreads like wildfire",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "spreading like wildfire",
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"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "spread like wildfire",
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{
"form": "spread like wildfire",
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]
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"args": {
"1": "spread<,,spread> like wildfire"
},
"expansion": "spread like wildfire (third-person singular simple present spreads like wildfire, present participle spreading like wildfire, simple past and past participle spread like wildfire)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
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"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
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],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The virus spread like wildfire throughout the Internet.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1789, The Gentleman's Magazine, page 651:",
"text": "The propaganda of the rebels spread like wild-fire, and the hopes of the more daring Irish Catholics rose high.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1941 October, “Notes and News: A Highland Runaway”, in Railway Magazine, page 469:",
"text": "\"We can sense the tension in Perth,\" wrote the Scotsman, \"when the news spread like wildfire that a runaway engine of ancient vintage was heading north without a soul on the footplate.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2023 May 31, Nadia Khomami, “Kylie Minogue ‘bursting with joy’ as new single Padam Padam soars up charts”, in The Guardian:",
"text": "Inspired by Edith Piaf’s 1951 song of the same name, Padam Padam is a reference to the sound of the human heartbeat, and has spread like wildfire thanks to its infectious nature and brevity (it clocks in at 2 mins, 46 seconds).",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2024 November 13, Paul Bigland, “Much to admire... but pockets of neglect”, in RAIL, number 1022, page 49:",
"text": "It became a popular garden plant in the 20th century, when a Chinese variant (Buddleia Davidii ^([sic])) was introduced. That's when the trouble started. The plant has spread like wildfire since. Its fast-growing invasive nature and survivability is a huge problem for the railways, as (left alone) it can cause serious, expensive damage to structures, block drivers sightlines, or pose a risk to lineside workers.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably."
],
"id": "en-spread_like_wildfire-en-verb-9~6xMqP8",
"links": [
[
"disseminate",
"disseminate"
],
[
"rapidly",
"rapidly"
],
[
"uncontrollably",
"uncontrollably"
]
],
"qualifier": "simile",
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive, simile) To spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "bù jìng ér zǒu",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "不脛而走 /不胫而走"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "šířit se jako požár"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "als een lopend vuurtje verspreiden"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "levitä kuin kulovalkea"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "se répandre comme une traînée de poudre"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "sich wie ein Lauffeuer verbreiten"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "futótűzként terjed"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "diffondersi a macchia d'olio"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "shibatataku aida ni hiromaru",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "瞬く間に広まる"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "rozchodzić się lotem błyskawicy"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "rozejść się lotem błyskawicy"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "espalhar-se como um relâmpago"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "espalhar-se como um rastilho de pólvora"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "rasprostranjátʹsja kak lesnój požár",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "распространя́ться как лесно́й пожа́р"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "correr como la pólvora"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "sprida sig som en präriebrand"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "sprida sig som en löpeld"
}
]
}
],
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"word": "spread like wildfire"
}
{
"forms": [
{
"form": "spreads like wildfire",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
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},
{
"form": "spreading like wildfire",
"tags": [
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"present"
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{
"form": "spread like wildfire",
"tags": [
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"form": "spread like wildfire",
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"name": "en-verb"
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"examples": [
{
"text": "The virus spread like wildfire throughout the Internet.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1789, The Gentleman's Magazine, page 651:",
"text": "The propaganda of the rebels spread like wild-fire, and the hopes of the more daring Irish Catholics rose high.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1941 October, “Notes and News: A Highland Runaway”, in Railway Magazine, page 469:",
"text": "\"We can sense the tension in Perth,\" wrote the Scotsman, \"when the news spread like wildfire that a runaway engine of ancient vintage was heading north without a soul on the footplate.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2023 May 31, Nadia Khomami, “Kylie Minogue ‘bursting with joy’ as new single Padam Padam soars up charts”, in The Guardian:",
"text": "Inspired by Edith Piaf’s 1951 song of the same name, Padam Padam is a reference to the sound of the human heartbeat, and has spread like wildfire thanks to its infectious nature and brevity (it clocks in at 2 mins, 46 seconds).",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2024 November 13, Paul Bigland, “Much to admire... but pockets of neglect”, in RAIL, number 1022, page 49:",
"text": "It became a popular garden plant in the 20th century, when a Chinese variant (Buddleia Davidii ^([sic])) was introduced. That's when the trouble started. The plant has spread like wildfire since. Its fast-growing invasive nature and survivability is a huge problem for the railways, as (left alone) it can cause serious, expensive damage to structures, block drivers sightlines, or pose a risk to lineside workers.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably."
],
"links": [
[
"disseminate",
"disseminate"
],
[
"rapidly",
"rapidly"
],
[
"uncontrollably",
"uncontrollably"
]
],
"qualifier": "simile",
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive, simile) To spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably."
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
]
}
],
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"translations": [
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "bù jìng ér zǒu",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "不脛而走 /不胫而走"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "šířit se jako požár"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "als een lopend vuurtje verspreiden"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "levitä kuin kulovalkea"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "se répandre comme une traînée de poudre"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "sich wie ein Lauffeuer verbreiten"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "futótűzként terjed"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "diffondersi a macchia d'olio"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "shibatataku aida ni hiromaru",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "瞬く間に広まる"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "rozchodzić się lotem błyskawicy"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "rozejść się lotem błyskawicy"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "espalhar-se como um relâmpago"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "espalhar-se como um rastilho de pólvora"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "rasprostranjátʹsja kak lesnój požár",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "распространя́ться как лесно́й пожа́р"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "correr como la pólvora"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "sprida sig som en präriebrand"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "spread or disseminate rapidly or uncontrollably",
"word": "sprida sig som en löpeld"
}
],
"word": "spread like wildfire"
}
Download raw JSONL data for spread like wildfire meaning in English (6.2kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-02-21 using wiktextract (7c21d10 and f2e72e5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.