fireball
noun
fire·ball
ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌbȯl 
1
: a ball of fire
also
: something resembling such a ball
the primordial fireball associated with the beginning of the universe —
Scientific American
Scientific American 2
: a brilliant meteor that may trail bright sparks
3
: the highly luminous cloud of vapor and dust created by a nuclear explosion
4
: a highly energetic person
Examples of fireball in a Sentence
The house erupted into a fireball.
what this club needs is a fireball who will bring some sorely needed energy and enthusiasm
Recent Examples on the Web
This wasn't an in-flight failure, but the fireball destroyed the Israeli Amos-6 communications satellite mounted on top of the Falcon 9.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 12 July 2024
The subsequent explosion rattled the Wilmington neighborhood, with the blast sending up a plume of black smoke and a fireball large enough to damage a transformer on a nearby power line.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
It wasn’t immediately known if that fireball was a stray meteor or related to an annual meteor shower.
—Len Melisurgo, Hartford Courant, 15 Apr. 2024
Reindeer herders miles away described witnessing a fireball trailing smoke, then a brilliant flash, and a thunderous boom, according to NASA.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for fireball 
Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 12 July 2024
The subsequent explosion rattled the Wilmington neighborhood, with the blast sending up a plume of black smoke and a fireball large enough to damage a transformer on a nearby power line.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
It wasn’t immediately known if that fireball was a stray meteor or related to an annual meteor shower.
—Len Melisurgo, Hartford Courant, 15 Apr. 2024
Reindeer herders miles away described witnessing a fireball trailing smoke, then a brilliant flash, and a thunderous boom, according to NASA.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for fireball
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fireball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fireball
Cite this Entry
“Fireball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fireball. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fireball
noun
fire·ball
-ˌbȯl
1
: a ball of fire
2
: a very bright meteor
3
: the glowing cloud of vapor and dust created by a nuclear explosion
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