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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Recent Examples of arson
Incidents include a rock-throwing and arson attempt at an ICE building last month, a white powder scare that led to an evacuation in New York City, and a bomb threat targeting the Dallas facility earlier this summer.
—
Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Authorities said the arson suspect was, as captured on video at the time, clad in a gray hoodie and gray sweatpants walking on church grounds.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Shapiro reflected on the multiple attacks just this year, including Kirk’s assassination, the killings of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband in June, and the arson attack at his official governor’s residence in April.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Though murder is the most severe metric, the deaths-only data approach entirely excludes acts of arson, assault, and vandalism, all typical tactics of leftist antifascist militants used to intimidate political opponents and pave the way for a revolution.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Authorities said the arson suspect was, as captured on video at the time, clad in a gray hoodie and gray sweatpants walking on church grounds.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Shapiro reflected on the multiple attacks just this year, including Kirk’s assassination, the killings of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband in June, and the arson attack at his official governor’s residence in April.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Though murder is the most severe metric, the deaths-only data approach entirely excludes acts of arson, assault, and vandalism, all typical tactics of leftist antifascist militants used to intimidate political opponents and pave the way for a revolution.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arson
Noun
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Police said the threat was linked to a fire in the north of the city.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
-
My 5-year-old wore this Melissa & Doug Fire Chief set for Halloween last year and has put out many fake fires since then.—
Katrina Cossey,
Parents,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The wildfire has been burning on private land.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
5 Oct. 2025
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Throughout his career, Zilber helped plant millions of trees and was a part of the state's response efforts for severe weather events, including wildfires, floods and tornadoes.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Tailing was hospitalized in critical condition after the blaze, according to the mayor.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
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Two men — Demonte Tyree Sherrill and Reuben Holme — were killed in the blaze.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arson. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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