fireball

noun

fire·​ball ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌbȯl How to pronounce fireball (audio)
Synonyms of fireballnext
1
: a ball of fire
also : something resembling such a ball
… the primordial fireball associated with the beginning of the universe. 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
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.
To this end, the LLNL has built a special machine called a plasma flow reactor that acts like a kind of mini artificial nuclear fireball simulator. Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 24 May 2026 After the landing, Starship toppled over into the ocean waters and exploded in a magnificent fireball (again, as planned) as SpaceX workers cheered. Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 May 2026 There was no fireball this time until the very end. Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026 As expected, the ship—wider than and nearly as long a Boeing 777 jetliner—tipped over and exploded in a fireball, putting an exclamation point on V3’s trip halfway around the world from the Texas Gulf Coast. Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 23 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for fireball

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fireball was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fireball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fireball. Accessed 27 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

fireball

noun
fire·​ball -ˌbȯl How to pronounce fireball (audio)
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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