ball of fire

noun phrase

: a person of unusual energy, vitality, or drive

Examples of ball of fire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Video from the site appeared to show the jet disappear below the tree line, which was followed seconds later by a ball of fire and a thick plume of gray smoke. Megan Forrester, ABC News, 13 June 2025 Footage posted by the Press Trust of India showed the plane sinking over a residential quarter and then the sound of a blast, and a ball of fire. Diaa Hadid, NPR, 12 June 2025 Here’s how Kamala Harris really prosecuted marijuana cases Great balls of fire! Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024 The second stage exploded in this huge ball of fire, and then the payload kind of teetered on top of the transporter erector. ArsTechnica, 5 May 2025 Video of the incident captures the truck exploding in a ball of fire, and fireworks can also be seen going off in all directions. Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 2 Jan. 2025 Spicy-dish lawsuit by San Jose doctor against Los Gatos restaurant set for jury trial Great balls of fire! Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024 The dragons met violently a thousand feet above the field of battle, as balls of fire burst and blossomed, so bright that men swore later that the sky was full of suns. Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 July 2024 Annie Jacobsen So with a 1-megaton bomb on Washington, DC, what happens in the very first millisecond is that this thermonuclear flash expands into a ball of fire that is one mile of pure fire. Sean Illing, Vox, 23 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ball of fire was circa 1900

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ball of fire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ball%20of%20fire. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!