as in fires
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.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of arsons
Furthermore, the Arizona district attorney's office said Pricop was found guilty in 2024 in a federal court in California on six commercial truck arsons.
—
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
It has been used in cases ranging from church arsons and antisemitic intimidation to political conspiracy and witness tampering.
—Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
When he was interviewed by police, Banda initially denied any involvement in the arsons but later admitted to setting the fires, according to the affidavit.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Jan. 2026
Chkhikvishvili also solicited the undercover agent to commit bombings and arsons targeting racial minorities, prosecutors said.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 19 Nov. 2025
By then, the amount of arsons in the three-day period leading up to Halloween had fallen dramatically from the 1984 peak of over 800 fires.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Officers later executed a search warrant at the teen’s home finding what police said was evidence connecting him to the earlier car arsons.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Listen to this article With vandalism and arsons of Tesla cars becoming more common across the country, the Connecticut legislature’s Conservative Caucus called Monday for top state officials to label the property crimes as domestic terrorism.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2025
This, in turn, led to waves of protest and a series of arsons that afflicted 24 churches over the next two years.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 Feb. 2025
Paula Wethington, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
It has been used in cases ranging from church arsons and antisemitic intimidation to political conspiracy and witness tampering.
—Josh Funk, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
When he was interviewed by police, Banda initially denied any involvement in the arsons but later admitted to setting the fires, according to the affidavit.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Jan. 2026
Chkhikvishvili also solicited the undercover agent to commit bombings and arsons targeting racial minorities, prosecutors said.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 19 Nov. 2025
By then, the amount of arsons in the three-day period leading up to Halloween had fallen dramatically from the 1984 peak of over 800 fires.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Officers later executed a search warrant at the teen’s home finding what police said was evidence connecting him to the earlier car arsons.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Listen to this article With vandalism and arsons of Tesla cars becoming more common across the country, the Connecticut legislature’s Conservative Caucus called Monday for top state officials to label the property crimes as domestic terrorism.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2025
This, in turn, led to waves of protest and a series of arsons that afflicted 24 churches over the next two years.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arsons
Noun
-
In southern Argentina, the fires first ignited by lightning forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists and residents and burned through over 174 square miles of native forest, including vast swaths of the Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site home to 2,600-year-old trees.—
Isabel Debre,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Design Making a Difference, partnering with Habitat for Humanity and the Foothill Catalog Foundation, to help rebuild homes lost in the fires.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Insurance companies have restricted business and dropped large numbers of California customers in recent years due to losses from past wildfires and concerns about the rising risks of major ones in the future.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Chronic exposure to pollution from wildfires has been linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually in the United States, according to a new study.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arsons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arsons. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
