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
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
She's been writing about wildfires since the Florida firestorm of 1998.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
The allegations prompted an online firestorm of criticism toward Kim Soo Hyun, highlighting the close scrutiny that top stars face in South Korea’s high-stakes, billion-dollar entertainment industry.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN, 20 Mar. 2025
The following day, Kate admitted to editing the picture, but by then, a firestorm of conspiracy theories had taken hold.
—Simon Perry, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
The Alien and Sedition Acts elicited a firestorm of criticism soon after they were passed, including from Jefferson and James Madison, who asserted that states have the right and duty to declare some federal laws unconstitutional.
—Daniel Tichenor, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firestorm
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Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
The allegations prompted an online firestorm of criticism toward Kim Soo Hyun, highlighting the close scrutiny that top stars face in South Korea’s high-stakes, billion-dollar entertainment industry.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN, 20 Mar. 2025
The following day, Kate admitted to editing the picture, but by then, a firestorm of conspiracy theories had taken hold.
—Simon Perry, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
The Alien and Sedition Acts elicited a firestorm of criticism soon after they were passed, including from Jefferson and James Madison, who asserted that states have the right and duty to declare some federal laws unconstitutional.
—Daniel Tichenor, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firestorm
Cite this Entry
“Firestorm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firestorm. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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