A firefight is a battle in a war which involves the use of guns rather than bombs or any other sort of weapon.
[journalism]
U.S. Marines had a firefight with local gunmen this morning.
firefight in British English
(ˈfaɪəˌfaɪt)
noun
a brief small-scale engagement between opposing military ground forces using short-range light weapons
firefight in American English
(faɪrˌfaɪt)
noun
an intense, usually brief, exchange of gunfire between soldiers of small military units
Examples of 'firefight' in a sentence
firefight
For four hours there was an intense firefight.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Down in the street an intense firefight was under way.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This makes equipment for firefighting and it is going out on an earnings multiple of almost nine.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They had been able to bring only limited firefighting equipment with them.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The landing field below me would be swarming with ambulances and firefighting equipment.
Sidney Sheldon The Other Side of Me
He put on old firefighting equipment stored in his garage after the blast.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But it is known he was wounded during a fierce firefight.
The Sun (2011)
It was the most intense firefight.
The Sun (2010)
In the second, his platoon had been engaged in a firefight by insurgents from a number of angles.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But there was also evidence of the fierce firefight the building had seen hours earlier with toppled statues and hundreds of artillery shells on the floor.
The Sun (2011)
US ambulances and firefighting equipment from an American airbase at the airport were sent to the crash site.
The Sun (2008)
Tragically a British Para died in the fierce firefight along with the translator.
The Sun (2009)
Perhaps, rather than firefighting when the press gets involved, it should stop leaving its chip pan unattended.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He accepts that the FA has to act swiftly and decisively on the deeper issues in the game rather than mere firefighting.