Molotov cocktail

noun

Mo·​lo·​tov cocktail ˈmä-lə-ˌtȯf- How to pronounce Molotov cocktail (audio)
ˈmȯ-,
ˈmō-,
-ˌtȯv-
: a crude bomb made of a bottle filled with a flammable liquid (such as gasoline) and usually fitted with a wick (such as a saturated rag) that is ignited just before the bottle is hurled

Examples of Molotov cocktail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Lucy Grace Nelson, 40, was charged with malicious destruction of property in connection with vandalism at a Colorado Tesla dealership that included Molotov cocktails being thrown at vehicles, according to federal prosecutors. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2025 According to the federal criminal complaint filed against Nelson, she is suspected of starting fires by igniting Molotov cocktails crafted from empty liquor bottles near vehicles that apparently did not cause much damage. Colleen Slevin, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025 In the first incident on Jan. 29, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at a Cybertruck, according to an arrest affidavit viewed by 9News. Laura Barcella, People.com, 27 Feb. 2025 If Jude’s previous two fiction films were Molotov cocktails of indignation, his latest secretes a kind of scentless poison that gets at the banality with which social injustices are processed and rationalized. Beatrice Loayza, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Molotov cocktail

Word History

Etymology

Vyacheslav M. Molotov

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Molotov cocktail was in 1940

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Cite this Entry

“Molotov cocktail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Molotov%20cocktail. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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