arson

American  

[ahr-suhn] / ˈɑr sən /

noun

1. Law. the malicious burning of another's house or property, or in some statutes, the burning of one's own house or property, as to collect insurance.

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arson British  

/ ˈɑːsən /

noun

1. criminal law the act of intentionally or recklessly setting fire to another's property or to one's own property for some improper reason

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Other Word Forms

• arsonist noun
• arsonous adjective

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”; 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.

Example Sentences

“Once the incident is over, unless they are doing an arson investigation, we are not involved with the next steps,” a Fire Department spokesperson told The Times.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

They include the bar's French owners, husband and wife Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who face charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

No arrests have been made, but the Met said the investigation is looking at an Islamist group with potential links to Iran which has claimed responsibility for a number of similar arson incidents across Europe.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

The owners of the bar, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, have been accused of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

C.P. had learned about the rally that afternoon in a phone call from one of his informants, a city arson inspector.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• torching