flamethrower

noun flame·throw·er \ ˈflām-ˌthrō-ər \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of flamethrower

1 : a device that expels from a nozzle a burning stream of liquid or semiliquid fuel under pressure

2 : a pitcher who throws hard : a fastball pitcher

See flamethrower defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of flamethrower from the Web

The flamethrower and fire extinguisher sales came after a similar, though less flashy, fundraiser by Musk to sell 50,000 Boring Co. branded hats for $20 each.

— samantha masunaga, latimes.com, "Elon Musk's Boring Co. raises almost $113 million, mostly from Musk," 16 Apr. 2018
All his tossing around of Kevin Hart and riding on a bike with a flamethrower only adds to the movie's fun quotient.

— brian truitt, USA TODAY, "Every Dwayne Johnson movie character (including 'Rampage'), definitively ranked," 12 Apr. 2018
Following Strickland's shutout performance, Samford brought in Erin Baldwin from the bullpen and the Bulldogs' senior flamethrower continued right where Strickland left off.

— samford athletics, AL.com, "Samford baseball takes sole possession of first place with 7-0 shutout at The Citadel," 7 Apr. 2018
Police were investigating allegations that Sun showed off a high-caliber bullet at school in February and also showed a video of him demonstrating a flamethrower while wearing a mask.

— Philly.com, "Police: Ammunition, combat vest found at home of teen who allegedly threatened Delco high school," 28 Mar. 2018
Both flamethrowers struggled early in their careers with their control.

— jorge l. ortiz, USA TODAY, "Tampa Bay Rays hope modest investment in Nathan Eovaldi pays big," 28 Mar. 2018
In the past, Boring merchandise has been a mix of the totally normal (a hat) and the potentially dangerous (a flamethrower).

— liz stinson, Curbed, "Elon Musk plans to make life-size Lego-like bricks from drilled earth," 28 Mar. 2018
Earlier this year, The Boring Company sold 20,000 flamethrowers -- for $500 a piece -- in just a few days.

— jennifer earl, Fox News, "Elon Musk says 'lifesize' LEGO-like bricks that could build walls of small house 'in a day or so' on the way," 26 Mar. 2018
Often quite colorful on Twitter, Musk joked about building and selling flamethrowers to help fund his tunnel drilling organisation The Boring Company—after selling out of Boring Company hats.

— james hetherington, Newsweek, "Why Is Elon Musk Hiring Onion Staffers? Here’s What We Know about Latest Mystery Project," 14 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of flamethrower

1917

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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FLAMETHROWER Defined for English Language Learners

flamethrower

noun

Definition of flamethrower for English Language Learners

: a weapon that shoots a stream of burning liquid
baseball : a pitcher who throws the ball very fast : a fastball pitcher

FLAMETHROWER Defined for Kids

flamethrower

noun flame·throw·er \ ˈflām-ˌthrō-ər \

Definition of flamethrower for Students

: a weapon that shoots a burning stream of fuel

Learn More about flamethrower

See words that rhyme with flamethrower Spanish Central: Translation of flamethrower Nglish: Translation of flamethrower for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of flamethrower for Arabic speakers

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