firestorm

noun

fire·​storm ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌstȯrm 

1

: a very intense and destructive fire usually accompanied by high winds

The Rooses' house and gardens were obliterated in the 1991 Oakland firestorm.

—Craig Summers Black

especially : one that is started by attack with nuclear or incendiary weapons and that creates a powerful updraft which causes very strong inrushing winds to develop in the surrounding area

His goal was to create firestorms like the ones that had consumed Hamburg and Dresden, conflagrations so vast and intense that nothing could survive them …

—David M. Kennedy

2

a

: a sudden or violent outburst

a firestorm of public protest

b

: a raging controversy

a political firestorm

Synonyms

• contestation
• controversy
• debate
• difference
• difficulty
• disagreement
• disputation
• dispute
• dissension
• dissention
• dissensus
• nonconcurrence

Examples of firestorm in a Sentence

The bombing left the city engulfed in a firestorm.

His proposal set off a political firestorm.

a firestorm of public protest

Recent Examples on the Web

The videos ignited a firestorm among conservatives and a contentious congressional hearing to investigate Planned Parenthood’s practices. —Penelope Green, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025

She's been writing about wildfires since the Florida firestorm of 1998. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2025

But this firestorm, driven by hurricane-force winds, proved too fast and overwhelming. —Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025

That set off a firestorm of discourse online and on television. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1