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
Jaime Mota, 37, is charged with one count of felony arson of property and one count of felony arson during a state of emergency.
—
Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025
The Navy prosecuted Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays on charges of aggravated arson and willfully hazarding a vessel.
—Ziva Branstetter, ProPublica, 29 Jan. 2025
That’s more years in prison than can be legally given for arson or aggravated assault in D.C.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 Jan. 2025
According to the church’s Facebook page, the church was destroyed and arson was suspected.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025
The Navy prosecuted Seaman Recruit Ryan Mays on charges of aggravated arson and willfully hazarding a vessel.
—Ziva Branstetter, ProPublica, 29 Jan. 2025
That’s more years in prison than can be legally given for arson or aggravated assault in D.C.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 Jan. 2025
According to the church’s Facebook page, the church was destroyed and arson was suspected.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arson
Noun
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To get water up to the fire, the trail crew filled five-gallon jugs and lashed them to mules.—
Zac Anderson,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
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Suarez got going with an audacious, dipping 40-yard effort, before his second showed determination to beat his marker and fire Philippe Coutinho’s corner high into the net, with a finish of high technical quality.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Other must-reads California wildfires are burning deeper into urban areas like Altadena and finding new victims.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
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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Firefighters extinguished the blaze shorty before 3 p.m.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Feb. 2025
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Although investigators are still looking into the origins of each blaze, the National Weather Service (NWS) Los Angeles stated that powerful Santa Ana winds — which reached hurricane-level speeds — spread the fires thousands of acres in less than 24 hours.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arson. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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