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.
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Recent Examples of arsons
The arsons are under investigation.
—
Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 4 June 2026
If convicted, Rinderknecht would be responsible for one of the nation’s most expensive wildfire arsons.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Several people, ranging in age from teens to people in their 40s, have been arrested and charged over the arsons, which haven’t caused injuries.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Several people, ranging in age from teens to people in their 40s, have been arrested and charged over the arsons, which haven’t caused injuries.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
The arsons were no accident, archaeological evidence suggests.
—Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
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
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
Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 4 June 2026
If convicted, Rinderknecht would be responsible for one of the nation’s most expensive wildfire arsons.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Several people, ranging in age from teens to people in their 40s, have been arrested and charged over the arsons, which haven’t caused injuries.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Several people, ranging in age from teens to people in their 40s, have been arrested and charged over the arsons, which haven’t caused injuries.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
The arsons were no accident, archaeological evidence suggests.
—Big Think, 25 Mar. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arsons
Noun
-
In the early evenings just before sunset, the islanders lit fires and the women began to cook.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Six months before the January 2025 fires, directed ChatGPT to generate an image of a burning forest, a bunch of people running away from it, with people in poverty trying to get past a gigantic gate with dollar signs on it.—
Sierra van der Brug,
Daily News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
One of the wildfires started in the early evening in the 1500 block of East Mulberry Avenue, not far from Link Lane.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
Forest degradation, driven by wildfires, logging and drought, affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arsons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arsons. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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