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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Recent Examples of arson
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the arson and explosives team undergoes in-depth training and responds to more than 1,000 calls a year.
—
Arkansas Online, 19 July 2025
Loveless and Tackett pleaded guilty to murder, criminal confinement, and arson, and each received 60-year sentences.
—Christina Coulter, People.com, 19 July 2025
Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva described the arson explosives unit as one of the department's most seasoned teams.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott confirmed LAFD's arson and ATF members are assisting with the investigation.
—Alexandra Koch , Bill Melugin , Alexandria Hernandez, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Arkansas Online, 19 July 2025
Loveless and Tackett pleaded guilty to murder, criminal confinement, and arson, and each received 60-year sentences.
—Christina Coulter, People.com, 19 July 2025
Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva described the arson explosives unit as one of the department's most seasoned teams.
—Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott confirmed LAFD's arson and ATF members are assisting with the investigation.
—Alexandra Koch , Bill Melugin , Alexandria Hernandez, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for arson
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arson
Noun
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Based on employee interviews, investigators also found conflicting accounts of fire preparedness within the plant, which has already experienced some fires.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
27 July 2025
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The fire agency noted that the tragedy is the fourth deadly fire this week involving a smoke alarm that was not working properly.—
Charmaine Patterson,
People.com,
26 July 2025
Noun
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Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted into Kansas City on Friday morning, raising health concerns about the area’s air quality.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
1 Aug. 2025
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Smoke from wildfires in the southwest is also expected to cloud the Front Range on Friday and reduce air quality.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The largest blaze, the Dixie fire in 2021, burned nearly 1 million acres in Northern California, including 73,240 acres within Lassen Volcanic National Park − roughly two-thirds of the park's total land area.—
Ignacio Calderon,
USA Today,
31 July 2025
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In January, a blaze broke out at a 750-megawatt facility in the Northern California community of Moss Landing.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arson. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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