as in fires
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.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of arsons
That’s the price to pay as Jewish institutions try to alleviate fears of shootings, arsons, car-rammings and bombings.
—
Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
Furthermore, the Arizona district attorney's office said Pricop was found guilty in 2024 in a federal court in California on six commercial truck arsons.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
It has been used in cases ranging from church arsons and antisemitic intimidation to political conspiracy and witness tampering.
—Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
When he was interviewed by police, Banda initially denied any involvement in the arsons but later admitted to setting the fires, according to the affidavit.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Jan. 2026
Chkhikvishvili also solicited the undercover agent to commit bombings and arsons targeting racial minorities, prosecutors said.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 19 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
Officers later executed a search warrant at the teen’s home finding what police said was evidence connecting him to the earlier car arsons.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Listen to this article With vandalism and arsons of Tesla cars becoming more common across the country, the Connecticut legislature’s Conservative Caucus called Monday for top state officials to label the property crimes as domestic terrorism.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2025
Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
Furthermore, the Arizona district attorney's office said Pricop was found guilty in 2024 in a federal court in California on six commercial truck arsons.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
It has been used in cases ranging from church arsons and antisemitic intimidation to political conspiracy and witness tampering.
—Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
When he was interviewed by police, Banda initially denied any involvement in the arsons but later admitted to setting the fires, according to the affidavit.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Jan. 2026
Chkhikvishvili also solicited the undercover agent to commit bombings and arsons targeting racial minorities, prosecutors said.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 19 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
Officers later executed a search warrant at the teen’s home finding what police said was evidence connecting him to the earlier car arsons.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Listen to this article With vandalism and arsons of Tesla cars becoming more common across the country, the Connecticut legislature’s Conservative Caucus called Monday for top state officials to label the property crimes as domestic terrorism.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arsons
Noun
-
The Yuma County Sheriff's Office said the same person has been starting fires for more than two years, including one that burned more than 12,000 acres near County Road 33 in December.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Fortunately, larger fuel sources like dense vegetation remain moist from heavy winter rains, and winds are predicted to be relatively light, conditions that together limit the danger of fast-spreading wildfires.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The data matches records of episodic droughts in Europe that may have triggered local wildfires.—
Nidhi Sharma,
Popular Science,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arsons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arsons. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
