arson

as in fire
the illegal burning of a building or other property; the crime of setting fire to something The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but investigators suspect arson. The town has suffered a rash of arson attacks.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of arson Cybertruck fire at Arizona Tesla dealership; investigators arrest arson suspect A 35-year-old man is accused of arson after a Cybertruck was burned at a Tesla dealership in Mesa, Ariz., on April 28, 2025. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 May 2025 The teenager, whose identity officials did not reveal, was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with aggravated arson, arson, and hindering apprehension, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 2 May 2025 Tesla’s cars, showrooms and Supercharger stations endured a wave of protests and sporadic acts of arson and vandalism. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Apr. 2025 An arson attempt in an apartment last June damaged several units on the lower floors of the building. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for arson
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arson
Noun
  • Centerville Volunteer Fire Department and Leona Volunteer Fire Department arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire while also recovering the victims from the blaze.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 15 May 2025
  • Winds, with gusts around 20 to 25 mph, combined with the warm, dry conditions, will raise fire weather concerns for northwestern Missouri.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • New soil testing by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has found high levels of lead and other toxic metals at homes destroyed by January’s catastrophic wildfires and cleared by federal cleanup crews.
    Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
  • Perhaps most importantly, NWS issues all of the tornado warnings, hurricane warnings, flood warnings, extreme wildfire conditions and other information during extreme weather events.
    Louis Uccellini, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 May 2025
Noun
  • Two other people suffered minor injuries — as well as a firefighter — from the blaze.
    Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
  • In 2016, a contractor working on a trailer parked at the department’s Tactics and Survival Training Center sparked a blaze while using a metal grinder.
    Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Arson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arson. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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