as in torch
a person who deliberately and unlawfully sets fire to a building or other property
they finally caught the arsonist, but only after he'd set fire to four barns
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Recent Examples of arsonist
The cases started in the early morning hours on Wednesday, and the arsonist struck again on Thursday.
—
Andrea Nakano, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
He was draped in the only surviving tallit from the synagogue’s library, where the arsonist lit the fire.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026
The Palisades Fire, which started in the Santa Monica Mountains, was the reignition of an earlier blaze allegedly set by an arsonist, which had not been fully extinguished.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Last year, an arsonist tried to kill Shapiro by setting the governor’s official residence on fire in the middle of the night.
—Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Jimmy Haslam chose this week to keep the arsonist and rid himself of the fireman who couldn’t put out the flames.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Impeachment and removal from office for playing arsonist to the United States Constitution is inescapable.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2026
The arsonist Pete McDonough, who escaped alongside Merle, sets Todd on fire.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2025
The arsonist pleaded guilty in October.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Andrea Nakano, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
He was draped in the only surviving tallit from the synagogue’s library, where the arsonist lit the fire.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026
The Palisades Fire, which started in the Santa Monica Mountains, was the reignition of an earlier blaze allegedly set by an arsonist, which had not been fully extinguished.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
Last year, an arsonist tried to kill Shapiro by setting the governor’s official residence on fire in the middle of the night.
—Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Jimmy Haslam chose this week to keep the arsonist and rid himself of the fireman who couldn’t put out the flames.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Impeachment and removal from office for playing arsonist to the United States Constitution is inescapable.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2026
The arsonist Pete McDonough, who escaped alongside Merle, sets Todd on fire.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2025
The arsonist pleaded guilty in October.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arsonist
torch
Noun
-
Garavani stepped down as creative director at Valentino in 2007, passing the torch quite briefly to Alessandra Facchinetti, who was succeeded by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli in 2008.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Melanie — the star of films such as Joy Ride, Paradise, Mulholland Falls and more — would welcome her first daughter, Dakota Johnson, in 1989, who continues to carry the leading lady torch.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arsonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arsonist. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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