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
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
David M. Kennedy 2
a
: a sudden or violent outburst
a firestorm of public protest
b
: a raging controversy
a political firestorm
Synonyms
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
Then Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays the movie’s titular character, found herself in a firestorm after her offensive social media comments resurfaced.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025
Born in the late '80s in Paterson, New Jersey, to two young parents, private school education was seen as one of the few lifelines available for Black folks looking to transcend the social, economic, and political firestorm that engulfed Paterson in the 1990s.
—Dria James, refinery29.com, 12 Feb. 2025
As Germany prepares for its biggest election in decades, with the world’s richest man actively fanning the flames of far-right extremism, the Berlinale finds itself, again, in the heart of a political firestorm.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2025
More than three decades later, the devastation caused by the Oakland Hills firestorm pales compared to that brought about by the Los Angeles fires in January, with at least 12,000 homes, businesses and other structures estimated to have been destroyed.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for firestorm 
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Lisa Respers France, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025
Born in the late '80s in Paterson, New Jersey, to two young parents, private school education was seen as one of the few lifelines available for Black folks looking to transcend the social, economic, and political firestorm that engulfed Paterson in the 1990s.
—Dria James, refinery29.com, 12 Feb. 2025
As Germany prepares for its biggest election in decades, with the world’s richest man actively fanning the flames of far-right extremism, the Berlinale finds itself, again, in the heart of a political firestorm.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2025
More than three decades later, the devastation caused by the Oakland Hills firestorm pales compared to that brought about by the Los Angeles fires in January, with at least 12,000 homes, businesses and other structures estimated to have been destroyed.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for firestorm
Articles Related to firestorm
Dictionary Entries Near firestorm
Cite this Entry
“Firestorm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firestorm. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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