fire-breathing
adjective
fire-breath·ing
ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌbrē-t͟hiŋ 
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
Examples of fire-breathing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Shout it Out Loud focuses on the formation of the '70s glitter rock band that became known for their face paint, stage outfits, and shock-rock performance style which featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, and pyrotechnics.
—
Mekishana Pierre Published, EW.com, 5 June 2025
With no dragons around, the land is suddenly more peaceful without the fear of fire-breathing creatures coming out of nowhere to kill you.
—George Yang, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2025
As a young man, Laliberté literally ran away to the circus by starting as a street performer, mastering fire-breathing, stilt-walking and playing his father’s accordion.
—Catherine Dunwoody, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
When: 16th May (part 1), 13th June (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, 12 Apr. 2024
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Mekishana Pierre Published, EW.com, 5 June 2025
With no dragons around, the land is suddenly more peaceful without the fear of fire-breathing creatures coming out of nowhere to kill you.
—George Yang, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2025
As a young man, Laliberté literally ran away to the circus by starting as a street performer, mastering fire-breathing, stilt-walking and playing his father’s accordion.
—Catherine Dunwoody, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
When: 16th May (part 1), 13th June (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, 12 Apr. 2024
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
Cite this Entry
“Fire-breathing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fire-breathing. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share