arson
Americannoun
-
arsons
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of arson
First recorded in 1670–80; from Anglo-French, Old French, from Late Latin ārsiōn-, stem of ārsiō “a burn,” from ārs(us) “burned” (past participle of Latin ārd(ere) “to burn”; cf. ardent) + -iō -ion
Explanation
If you deliberately light logs on fire to roast marshmallows, you have camping skills. If you deliberately set your whole house on fire to collect the insurance money, you've committed arson. The noun arson comes from the Latin word ardere, meaning "to burn." Arson is the act of setting something on fire for a nefarious purpose, and it is, of course, illegal. If you live in a wildfire risk area, you know that sometimes wildfires are caused by natural causes like lightening, sometimes they're caused accidentally by carelessness, and sadly they're sometimes caused by a deliberate act of arson.
Vocabulary lists containing arson
Born a Crime
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The Hate U Give
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Flush
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Israel's military told AFP that soldiers were dispatched to Mikhmas following a report of graffiti and arson at the mosque, as well as damage to a vehicle.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Earlier this year the Brits identified an arson wave targeting U.K.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The outlet reported that Shrine has a prior felony arson conviction in Contra Costa County as well as convictions for vandalism, battery and violation of probation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Public prosecutors in America's second biggest city, unhappy about the result, leveled new charges: destruction of property by means of fire and arson affecting property used in interstate commerce.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
We filed a case in Pennsylvania to help Trina Garnett, the girl who had been convicted for arson.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Jane Lee from the Keighley Civic Society has previously called for more security measures at the mill to prevent further trespass and arsons.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024
In addition to the arsons, protests gathering a few hundred people have also been organized in Brussels.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023
There were 18 reports of arson for 2022, twice the total of 2021 and 61% higher than the 11 arsons reported in 2018.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
He thinks the person responsible could have been one of those detained last month in a string of arsons in North Hollywood, or possibly someone evicted from the house in the flyer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2022
Crimes, murders, thefts and arsons can only be prevented by the enforcement of the law.
From The Crime of the Century or, The Assassination of Dr. Patrick Henry Cronin by Henry M. Hunt
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
