Synonyms

bolide

American

[boh-lahyd, -lid] / ˈboʊ laɪd, -lɪd /

noun

Astronomy.

a large, brilliant meteor, especially one that explodes; fireball.

bolide British

/ ˈbəʊlaɪd, -lɪd /

noun

Also called: fireball. a large exceptionally bright meteor that often explodes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bolide

First recorded in 1850–55; from French, from Greek bolid- (stem of bolís ) “missile”

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:

bolide

They relied on the "pancake model," a widely used semi-analytic approach that describes how a bolide fragments while passing through an atmosphere.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

The meteor - sometimes called a bolide for its particularly intense brightness - could be seen by much of southern Norway.

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2022

The next city-threatening bolide could arrive at any time.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 21, 2019

Still, with all this evidence, one large piece remained missing: the crater where the bolide impact.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

One or two that were missing had been probably struck and carried off by a fragment of the exploded bolide.

From All Around the Moon by Edward Roth

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023