flamethrower

noun

flame·​throw·​er ˈflām-ˌthrō-ər How to pronounce flamethrower (audio)
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

Examples of flamethrower in a Sentence

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.
Amid a proliferation of antisemitic acts of terror in the United States — last month alone saw two Israeli embassy staffers shot dead in D.C. and 15 Jews burned, some severely, by a man wielding a makeshift flamethrower in Colorado — comes a controversial new thriller. Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025 Eve’s physical resourcefulness makes anything around her lethal — plates, ice skates, flamethrowers, samurai swords — honoring John Wick’s creative capacity. Armond White, National Review, 11 June 2025 Instead, that polarity motif is more thrillingly captured when Eve fends off a flamethrower with a fire hose. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025 Witnesses said the attacker used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd, said Mark Michalek, special agent in charge at the FBI’s Denver field office. Christopher Cann, USA Today, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for flamethrower

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flamethrower was in 1917

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Cite this Entry

“Flamethrower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flamethrower. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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