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

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

Synonyms of fireball

• pistol
• dynamo

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

Moments later, the plane’s left wing reportedly caught fire and an engine detached, sending the wide-body freighter crashing to the ground and erupting into a fireball. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025

Footage of the crash showed a towering wave of smoke and flames billowing skyward near the airport after the low-flying plane struggled to climb and then erupted into an enormous fireball on impact. —Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025

And a United Parcel Service cargo plane crash caused a deadly fireball in Louisville, Kentucky. —Caren Bohan, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025

Video of the incident obtained by ABC affiliate WABC showed what appeared to be a huge fireball as a result of the blast. —David Chiu, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fireball

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• catarrhal
• cortisol
• ethanol
• gasohol
• guaiacol

Kids 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