bolide

noun

bo·​lide ˈbō-ˌlīd 

-lid

: a large meteor : fireball

especially : one that explodes

Examples of bolide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first meteor shower of 2026 is known for its bright fireballs and bolides—large meteors that explode in the atmosphere in dramatic fashion, sometimes raining meteorites onto Earth below. —Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2026

What is the difference between a fireball and a bolide? —Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 8 Dec. 2025

About one in ten reach magnitude zero or brighter and a few can be outstandingly bright fireballs or even bolides (exploding meteors), capable of casting shadows. —Joe Rao, Space.com, 7 Dec. 2025

Lesser meteoric fireworks are much, much more common than bolides. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 27 June 2025

Thursday’s fireball was a special type called a bolide that explodes in a bright terminal flash, according to the organization. —Devon Sayers, CNN Money, 26 June 2025

Dashcam footage shows the fireball, known as a bolide, soaring through the sky and Robbins' reaction to the undeniable beauty. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 13 May 2025

Jaguar designer Malcom Sayer’s exquisite bolide exploded preconceptions of automotive beauty and performance. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2025

According to its data, at least 23 bolides have occurred so far in December. —John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Latin; French bolide, borrowed from Latin bolid-, bolis, borrowed from Greek bolid-, bolís "hunting javelin, bolt (of lightning), throw of dice," derivative of bol- (in bolḗ or bólos "throw, cast"), nominal derivative from the base of bállein "to throw" — more at devil entry 1

Note: The word "bolide" is owed ultimately to the Roman natural historian pliny the Elder. Pliny used Latin bolis, plural bolides, as one of several terms describing "prodigies in the heavens" (caelestia prodigia) in his Natural History (2.37). For meteors in general he employs the word facēs (literally, "torches"), which "are only seen when they are falling" ("non nisi cum decidunt visae"). While some facēs are only burning in their front part, the bolidēs burn continually and hence leave a longer track ("bolis vero perpetua ardens longiorem trahit limitem"). While Pliny's other terms for his heavenly prodigies are fairly straightforward (facēs "torches," lampades "torches, lamps," trabēs "beams"), the Greek loanword bolis has no other record of use in Latin. In Greek it is a sparsely attested word, and it is uncertain what sense Pliny had in mind.

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined above

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