firebrand
noun
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The original firebrands were incendiary indeed; they were pieces of wood set burning at the fire, perhaps for use as a light or a weapon. English speakers started brandishing those literal firebrands as long ago as the 13th century. (Robinson Crusoe held one high as he rushed into a cave on his deserted island and saw by the light of the firebrand . . . lying on the ground a monstrous, frightful old he-goat.) But the burning embers of the wooden firebrand quickly sparked figurative uses for the term, too. By the early 14th century, firebrand was also being used for one doomed to burn in hell, and by 1382, English writers were using it for anyone who kindled mischief or inflamed passions.
Examples of firebrand in a Sentence
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2025
In a national poll in Good Housekeeping, Berg was ranked America’s second most admired woman, bested only by another liberal firebrand, Eleanor Roosevelt.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
But questions swirled for weeks over whether Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene -- a firebrand conservative and one of Trump's most loyal allies in the House -- would run for Senate.
—Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 15 May 2025
Last March, young people like Mr. Fall propelled a firebrand opposition candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to a landslide victory in Senegal’s presidential election.
—Adrien Marotte, Christian Science Monitor, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for firebrand
Cite this Entry
“Firebrand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firebrand. Accessed 25 Jun. 2025.
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firebrand
noun
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