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.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arson
Combs is accused of arson amid the racketeering acts, likely in reference to the explosion of Mescudi's vehicle.
—
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 28 May 2025
Emmit Yarbrough, 58, pleaded guilty in March to arson, a Level 4 felony, and abuse of a corpse, a Level 6 felony.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
The government doesn’t even need to prove Diddy himself agreed to commit any of the predicate acts (like arson).
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 22 May 2025
But there were a number of high-profile violent attacks, too, in which Tesla vehicles, showrooms and service centers were targets of vandalism, including arson.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 28 May 2025
Emmit Yarbrough, 58, pleaded guilty in March to arson, a Level 4 felony, and abuse of a corpse, a Level 6 felony.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
The government doesn’t even need to prove Diddy himself agreed to commit any of the predicate acts (like arson).
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 22 May 2025
But there were a number of high-profile violent attacks, too, in which Tesla vehicles, showrooms and service centers were targets of vandalism, including arson.
—Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arson
Noun
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Currently, there is no information on the containment of the fire and the cause of it is still undetermined.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2025
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Gloria further tried to raise the stakes by saying San Diego would not contract out police, fire and other municipal services to the city of La Jolla, as some incorporation advocates have suggested.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2025
Noun
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Thousands of people have evacuated their homes across parts of the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where officials have declared a state of emergency and crews are working to contain dozens of out-of-control wildfires.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
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Meanwhile, westerly winds will help push smoke from the Canadian wildfires east of the Kansas City area as well.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
2 June 2025
Noun
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The blaze destroyed a travel trailer, officials said.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2025
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The fire was brought under control by around 7:39 a.m. The blaze’s cause was not immediately known.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
1 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arson. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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