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
And in Detroit, Devil's Night has been marked by arsons, riots, a fatal shooting and serious property damage, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.
—
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 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
This, in turn, led to waves of protest and a series of arsons that afflicted 24 churches over the next two years.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 Feb. 2025
And three vehicles were set ablaze in two separate arsons at Tatiana Pino’s sister’s residence.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2025
Advertisement No one was injured in any of the subsequent arsons.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
In related news, your local fire department just issued a report on how many arsons are currently blazing downtown.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Since then, federal prosecutors have linked the gang to at least 15 murders, drug dealing, contraband smuggling schemes, arsons, robberies and extortion plots.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 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
This, in turn, led to waves of protest and a series of arsons that afflicted 24 churches over the next two years.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 Feb. 2025
And three vehicles were set ablaze in two separate arsons at Tatiana Pino’s sister’s residence.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2025
Advertisement No one was injured in any of the subsequent arsons.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
In related news, your local fire department just issued a report on how many arsons are currently blazing downtown.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Since then, federal prosecutors have linked the gang to at least 15 murders, drug dealing, contraband smuggling schemes, arsons, robberies and extortion plots.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arsons
Noun
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows travelers to bring laptops on flights, but they must be stored in carry-on baggage only because fires are much harder to fight in cargo storage.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), between 2018 and 2022, an average of 835 home fires started with decorations, with a third traced back to candles.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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British fire crews have been hampered by the presence of unexploded bombs when dealing with wildfires sparked during military training sessions.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
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She’s written loads for a sophomore album, inspired by her family’s experience evacuating their Palisades neighborhood as wildfires swept through Los Angeles in January.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arsons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arsons. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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