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
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The Royals were building a dominant tandem in Estévez and flamethrower Lucas Erceg. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2026 Another video shows a person using a makeshift flamethrower on security forces in the southern city of Shiraz. Henry Austin, NBC news, 7 Jan. 2026 When two bumbling thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) attempt to rob his home, Kevin begins an elaborately violent, slapstick battle of wits via booby traps involving a tarantula, paint buckets, and flamethrowers. Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025 Last June, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, allegedly used a flamethrower and threw Molotov cocktails to burn people during a rally for Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado. Adam Thompson, CBS News, 15 Dec. 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 1 Feb. 2026.

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