fireball
Americannoun
-
a ball of fire, as the sun; a shooting star.
-
a luminous meteor, sometimes exploding.
-
lightning having the appearance of a globe of fire; ball lightning.
-
the highly luminous central portion of a nuclear explosion.
-
a ball filled with explosive or combustible material, used as a projectile to injure the enemy by explosion or to set fire to their works.
-
Informal. an exceptionally energetic or ambitious person.
noun
-
a ball-shaped discharge of lightning
-
the bright spherical region of hot ionized gas at the centre of a nuclear explosion
-
astronomy another name for bolide
-
slang an energetic person
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fireball
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:
To investigate these processes, the team used a plasma flow reactor designed to mimic part of the environment inside a nuclear fireball.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
Footage from the scene shows a fireball at the refinery, with thick smoke billowing out across the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
She said: "Based on the fireball trajectory, the event occurred over the North Sea so, sadly, we do not expect any recoverable meteorites."
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
When it does, the agency expects to lose communication for about six minutes as the Orion capsule holding the astronauts is enveloped in a fireball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
A blue fireball shoots out of his candle, and he still doesn’t look away.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
The Pentagon released scores of UFO files on Friday with descriptions of reported sightings of orbs, discs and fireballs spanning 80 years.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Larger incoming objects, such as boulder sized rocks that create especially bright flashes, are known as bolides or fireballs.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026
Video images of the fireballs circled the globe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
In a corner of London's Canary Wharf, better known for finance than fireballs, The Hunger Games: On Stage has bought Panem to life in a purpose-built 1,200 seat arena.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2025
When she’s around, Coop lights up like the fireballs that shoot out of a Roman candle.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
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.
