fire-breathing

adjective

fire-breath·​ing ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌbrē-t͟hiŋ How to pronounce fire-breathing (audio)
1
: breathing or appearing to breathe fire : able to produce a stream of fire from the mouth
fire-breathing dragons
2
: intimidatingly or violently aggressive in speech and manner
a fire-breathing orator
fire-breather noun

Examples of fire-breathing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The show also included two fire-breathing, transforming robots, appropriately named Arcticgon and Megasaurus. Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 7 June 2026 The faire in Larkspur is a popular attraction featuring food, swordsmanship, fire-breathing, dancing, over 200 artisans and more. Christa Swanson, CBS News, 6 June 2026 Johnston then started fire-breathing by blowing a liquid fuel onto the staff. Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026 May isn’t a fire-breathing, big-personality coach. Chris Branch, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026 And there was someone holding the fire for the fire-breathing. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2026 Frehley's onstage antics were as notable as Simmons' fire-breathing and Stanley zip-lining over crowds. Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025 In an era that preceded MTV, their performances were almost overwhelmingly visual and experiential, with explosions, fire-breathing, smoke-spewing guitars and fireworks. Jem Aswad, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025 Chayefsky’s script is fire-breathing — dense, literate, pulsing with fury — and the performances rise to meet it. arkansasonline.com, 10 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fire-breathing was in 1605

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Cite this Entry

“Fire-breathing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fire-breathing. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.

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