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
In 1970, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison in Louisiana for arson and killing a 12-year-old girl.
—
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Connelly is wanted on charges of murder, arson, motor vehicle theft, attempted murder and felony assault.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025
Helm sees smoke rising on the other side of the forest, without lightning or lava’s arson.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
By then, the amount of arsons in the three-day period leading up to Halloween had fallen dramatically from the 1984 peak of over 800 fires.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Connelly is wanted on charges of murder, arson, motor vehicle theft, attempted murder and felony assault.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025
Helm sees smoke rising on the other side of the forest, without lightning or lava’s arson.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
By then, the amount of arsons in the three-day period leading up to Halloween had fallen dramatically from the 1984 peak of over 800 fires.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arson
Noun
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Adding fuel to the fire, China also released at least four WWII films this year, including some that depict the Nanjing Massacre and the sinking of a Japanese vessel.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
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An ugly opening half, which featured the teams combining for 6-of-24 shooting in the game’s first 10 minutes, saw the visiting Wildcats catch fire from beyond the arc.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The wildfire has been burning on private land.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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Conway said there aren’t a lot of discounts currently available for wildfire mitigation, but there are for fortifying a house’s roof against hail.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Owned by Randy Clement, his life partner, April Langford, and Emely Cubias, the bar became one of the few businesses that remained standing in the aftermath of the blaze.—
Esther Tseng,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
11 Nov. 2025
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John’s wife, Heather Millican, and their two children, ages 3 and 8, were able to escape the blaze and were outside the home when firefighters arrived, officials added.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arson. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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