firebug

[fahyuhr-buhg]

noun

Informal.

1. arsonist; incendiary; pyromaniac.

firebug

/ ˈfaɪəˌbʌɡ /

noun

1. informal,  a person who deliberately sets fire to property

Word History and Origins

Origin of firebug¹

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; fire + bug ¹

Example Sentences

Organizers have prepared a form and a mobile app to help people identify and report their firebug and lacewing sightings during this year’s two insect-counting events.

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In the Bicentennial story, “The Finishers,” Carney, distraught when one of his tenants is badly injured in a fire set at an abandoned building, sends Pepper on a dangerous goose chase after the firebug.

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A man who tried to start two forest fires in southwestern Oregon was thwarted by three bystanders who tied the firebug to a tree until police arrived.

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Outside, hundreds of bright red firebug beetles jockey for relief from the spring chill in a sliver of sunlight.

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It’s inevitable that Jennifer will dabble in the same treacherous behavior as her dad: She becomes a punked-out teenager, firebug and pothead.

Read more on Washington Post