fireball

noun fire·ball \ ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌbȯl \

Definition of fireball

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

See fireball defined for English-language learners

See fireball defined for kids

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 of fireball from the Web

During a meteor shower, your chance of glimpsing one of these impressive fireballs ripping through the upper atmosphere increases tremendously.

— andrew fazekas, National Geographic, "How to See the 2017 Perseid Meteor Shower," 11 Aug. 2017
Ever since it's been one damned thing after another, including a giant fireball in the sky.

— aimee levitt, Chicago Reader, "News / Paranormal There's been a record number of flying humanoid sightings over Chicago this year," 9 Aug. 2017
Angelique Kidjo Aug. 13 Born and raised in the West African country of Benin and now based in New York, this Grammy Award-winning Afropop vocal fireball is admirably versatile.

— george varga, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Star-studded Bayside Summer Nights concerts an opportunity to listen, watch and dance," 1 July 2017
In the claustrophobic bowels of a mine, a blast goes wrong and sends a flaming fireball racing through the shaft in a brief but effective disaster scene that leaves four workmen dead and the audience hungry for more.

— deborah young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Explosion': Film Review | Shanghai 2017," 1 July 2017
The fire spread rapidly, and local media showed a giant fireball erupt and give way to thick black plumes of smoke.

— j. weston phippen, The Atlantic, "150 Die in Pakistan After an Oil Tanker Explodes," 25 June 2017
Zach Hess is Omaha untouchable: In his three CWS appearances, twice against Florida State and then Oregon State, the fireball freshman reliever now has allowed 0 runs and 0 hits in 3.1 innings, striking out eight.

— ron higgins, NOLA.com, "Omaha Stakes: Ron Higgins' Five observations from LSU's 3-1 CWS semifinals win over Oregon State," 23 June 2017
Joining Owens at Waterfront Park, a couple of jugglers, several hoopers, a guy spinning Poi Balls (unlit fireballs on thin rope) and John Mark Hummel using a Contact Staff.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Not your mother's hula hoop. How the 'flow' of hooping has changed," 23 June 2017
This handy device lets your dad appear to shoot fireballs from his hand.

— kelly kazek, AL.com, "7 truly epic gifts your dad's inner child needs this Father's Day," 15 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fireball.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fireball

15th century

fireball Synonyms

Synonyms

dynamo, pistol, live wire

Related Words

bootstrapper, go-ahead, go-getter, highflier (or highflyer), hummer, hustler, powerhouse, rustler, self-starter; achiever, comer, dasher; doer, enterpriser

Near Antonyms

dawdler, idler, loafer, lounger, trifler; clock-watcher, goldbrick, shirker, slacker; couch potato, deadbeat, do-nothing, drone, layabout, lazybones, slouch, slug, slugabed, sluggard; dallier, laggard, lingerer, loiterer, slowpoke, stick-in-the-mud

FIREBALL Defined for English Language Learners

fireball

noun

Definition of fireball for English Language Learners

: a huge mass of fire

Learn More about fireball

See words that rhyme with fireball Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fireball Spanish Central: Translation of fireball Nglish: Translation of fireball for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fireball

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fireball

Definition of fireball

Examples of fireball in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fireball from the Web

First Known Use of fireball

fireball Synonyms

Synonyms

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FIREBALL Defined for English Language Learners

fireball

Definition of fireball for English Language Learners

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