arson
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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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Dear Martin
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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.
Meanwhile, a team from the fire service's Arson Investigation Unit, working alongside local police officers, has launched an investigation into what caused the fires.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2025
Arson investigators have begun working to determine what caused the blaze.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2024
According to internal affairs records Propster recently shared with The Times, the department’s Arson and Explosives Detail determined the fire was “accidental.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2024
Arson played “Presha” by 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, a standout of the trap subgenre, on the second night of Jivebiscuit at Stone Mountain Skates in Stone Mountain, Ga., the Atlanta-style skaters took their cue.
From New York Times • May 2, 2024
Her Serene Highness finally reached the Villa Arson, almost two miles distant, terribly frightened and with her clothes pretty nearly torn off her back.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 12, No. 33, December, 1873 by Various
Definitions 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.
