as in torch
a person who deliberately and unlawfully sets fire to a building or other property
they finally caught the arsonist, but only after he'd set fire to four barns
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Recent Examples of arsonist
Days later, arsonists returned to burn what was left of Chinatown.
—
Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement The firefighting-arsonist dynamic isn’t unique to Harley.
—Nelson P. Repenning, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Examples of attacks include everything from graffiti and destruction of statues to arsonists destroying entire churches and assailants attacking churchgoers with deadly weapons.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025
An arsonist set a fire that damaged the front of the store and some of its interior, according to The Times of Israel.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds wreaked destruction across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
—USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement The firefighting-arsonist dynamic isn’t unique to Harley.
—Nelson P. Repenning, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Examples of attacks include everything from graffiti and destruction of statues to arsonists destroying entire churches and assailants attacking churchgoers with deadly weapons.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025
An arsonist set a fire that damaged the front of the store and some of its interior, according to The Times of Israel.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Wildfires caused by arsonists or thunderstorms and fanned by a heatwave and strong winds wreaked destruction across southern Europe on Wednesday, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
—USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arsonist
torch
Noun
-
The entrance to the presentation was decorated to look as if attendees were emerging from a 20-foot dress of a model positioned on a higher floor holding a shimmering torch and wearing a crown a la the Statue of Liberty.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Barbecue grills and tiki torches are stacked in the corners of her kitchen.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arsonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arsonist. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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