as in fire
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arson
The incident occurs during the shoot of a historical drama about the 1993 arson attack in Soligen, in which five members of a Turkish family were killed when a gang of German skinheads set fire to their home.
—
Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025
The alleged arson took place at around 5:00 a.m. on Feb. 10 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
—Jon Haworth, ABC News, 18 Feb. 2025
Henry Pacheco, 44, was brought to the city from state prison to face murder and arson charges for killing Escalera Ferrer, 25, known by her stage name, Lorena Xtravaganza, on May 12, 2012, in her apartment on Furman Ave. near Bushwick Ave.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 14 Feb. 2025
All concluded that the original investigators relied on outdated theories and folklore to justify the determination of arson.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025
The alleged arson took place at around 5:00 a.m. on Feb. 10 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
—Jon Haworth, ABC News, 18 Feb. 2025
Henry Pacheco, 44, was brought to the city from state prison to face murder and arson charges for killing Escalera Ferrer, 25, known by her stage name, Lorena Xtravaganza, on May 12, 2012, in her apartment on Furman Ave. near Bushwick Ave.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 14 Feb. 2025
All concluded that the original investigators relied on outdated theories and folklore to justify the determination of arson.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arson
Noun
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The mayor nevertheless went on the trip, attending the Ghanaian president’s inauguration, as well as a U.S. Embassy cocktail party, on Jan. 7, the day the Palisades fire broke out.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2025
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Currently, there is no information on the containment of the fire and the cause of it has yet to be determined.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacramento Bee,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Northwestern’s women’s basketball team will be issued two forfeits, which will count as losses, for scheduled games against UCLA and USC that were initially postponed in January due to the deadly wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area.—
Alex Andrejev,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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The funding patch could include some add-ons, including wildfire aid for California, but would otherwise keep spending flat for the remainder of the fiscal year.—
David Sivak,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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No major injuries have been reported in connection with the blaze.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN,
9 Mar. 2025
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By Sunday afternoon, firefighting crews were focused on putting out hotspots and preventing flareups from the previous day’s blazes.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arson. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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