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
The church's pastor suspects arson, though the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
—
Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Elsewhere in the episode, Olympia and her team — which also consists of Billy (David Del Rio) and Sarah (Leah Lewis) — take on an arson case.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Three others were killed in an arson attack on the local parliament building on Friday.
—CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
Officials said at least four deaths over the weekend came from mob violence and arson in Makassar.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Elsewhere in the episode, Olympia and her team — which also consists of Billy (David Del Rio) and Sarah (Leah Lewis) — take on an arson case.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Three others were killed in an arson attack on the local parliament building on Friday.
—CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
Officials said at least four deaths over the weekend came from mob violence and arson in Makassar.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arson
Noun
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The weather service in Honolulu said Kiko will move to the northwest after midweek, and conditions should likely remain under critical fire weather thresholds.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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On Tuesday night, the Nepali army deployed troops to restore order after prominent government buildings were set on fire, politicians were attacked and violent clashes erupted between protesters and government forces.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These winds, most common from September to May, pose a significant wildfire risk by drying out vegetation, the National Weather Service said.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Since its discovery 11 days ago, the wildfire has burned 13,869 acres.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Properties belonging to Sher Bahadur Deuba, the leader of the largest party in the Nepali Congress, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal, were also targeted in the blazes.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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An investigation by The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, found that the fire was allowed to burn for seven days after a July 4 lightning strike touched off the blaze – even as fuel and weather conditions repeatedly reached the brink of critical thresholds for fire risk.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arson. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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