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 In stark contrast to the fire-breathing, gold-hoarding dragons of medieval Europe, Chinese dragons were perceived as benevolent creatures. Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 When: May 16 (Part 1), June 13 (Part 2) Where: Netflix House Of The Dragon Season 2 Buckle up, because the incestuous, violent, fire-breathing Targaryens are back in Season 2 of House Of The Dragon. Olivia Truffaut-Wong, refinery29.com, 27 Dec. 2023 In Adam Rubin's cheeky tale, beastly, fire-breathing creatures are really just misunderstood party monsters, allowing children to conquer their wildest fears. Karen Cicero, Good Housekeeping, 10 July 2023 Tom Stinchfield, Transfix’s co-founder and CRO, describes it as an exhibition space for artworks — interactive, kinetic, illuminated and fire-breathing — that don’t fit into the typical gallery, physically or psychologically. Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fire-breathing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near fire-breathing

Cite this Entry

“Fire-breathing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fire-breathing. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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