Molotov cocktail
noun
Mo·lo·tov cocktail
ˈmä-lə-ˌtȯf- 
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
Soliman used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to burn people who had gathered on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall for a weekly demonstration urging the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas.
—
Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
Three months later, Moreno-Gama was arrested on accusations of throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s house, then driving to OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters with a jug of kerosene and threatening to burn the building down and kill anyone inside.
—Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026
The latest attack to make the headlines was the arrest of a 20-year-old man for throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home in San Francisco, and then threatening to burn down OpenAI headquarters.
—Ben Bayer, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
Mohamed Soliman admitted to the attack on the Pearl Street Mall in June 2025 during a demonstration in support of Israeli captives held by Hamas, throwing two Molotov cocktails at the group, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others.
—Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for Molotov cocktail
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.
Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
Three months later, Moreno-Gama was arrested on accusations of throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s house, then driving to OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters with a jug of kerosene and threatening to burn the building down and kill anyone inside.
—Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026
The latest attack to make the headlines was the arrest of a 20-year-old man for throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home in San Francisco, and then threatening to burn down OpenAI headquarters.
—Ben Bayer, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
Mohamed Soliman admitted to the attack on the Pearl Street Mall in June 2025 during a demonstration in support of Israeli captives held by Hamas, throwing two Molotov cocktails at the group, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others.
—Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for Molotov cocktail
Cite this Entry
“Molotov cocktail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Molotov%20cocktail. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
