firework

[ fahyuh r-wurk ]

/ ˈfaɪərˌwɜrk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR firework ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Often fireworks. a combustible or explosive device for producing a striking display of light or a loud noise, used for signaling or as part of a celebration.

fireworks,

a pyrotechnic display.
a display of violent temper or fierce activity.
any spectacular display, especially of wit or of a technical feat by a musician or dancer.

RELATED WORDS

sparklers

Nearby words

Origin of firework

First recorded in 1550–60; fire + work

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fireworks

More clumsily, fireworks stand in for the Big Bang and a potato and peas are invoked to explain relativity.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?|Clive Irving|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We sat on the grass, in the hot twilight, watching the fireworks burst in patriotic showers of light over Independence.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The U.S. celebrates the day it became independent every year with fireworks rather than sorrow,” he said.
Scots Must Choose Heart or Head|Nico Hines|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I remember my father leaving our July 4th fireworks party to go to Rome where my grandfather died.
Vogue Photographer Erwin Blumenfeld: Secrets of a Fashion Legend|Tim Teeman|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Drones have been used to photograph everything from football games to fireworks displays.
Soon We’ll Be Watching Whales By Drone|Abigail Golden|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She could not understand, despite his explanations, why these fireworks of dexterity were worth while.
The Second Latchkey|Charles Norris Williamson and Alice Muriel Williamson
The noise was caused by the bamboos, which, as the flames reached them, exploded like fireworks.
The Mysterious Island|Jules Verne
Fireworks in the evening; and a public breakfast for the ladies next morning in the Shire Hall.
Worcestershire in the Nineteenth Century|T. C. Turberville
Soon the sound of the dynamiting reached us and buildings began to fly in the air like fireworks.
Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror|Richard Linthicum
We'd like to see the fireworks this evening, but perhaps we could go to your house and get back again.
A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband|Louise Bennett Weaver

British Dictionary definitions for fireworks

fireworks

/ (ˈfaɪəˌwɜːks) /

pl n

a show in which large numbers of fireworks are let off simultaneously

informal an exciting or spectacular exhibition, as of musical virtuosity or wit

informal a burst of temper

firework

/ (ˈfaɪəˌwɜːk) /

noun

a device, such as a Catherine wheel, Roman candle, or rocket, in which combustible materials are ignited and produce coloured flames, sparks, and smoke, sometimes accompanied by bangs

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

Word Origin and History for fireworks

fireworks

1570s, from fire (n.) + works (see work (n.)).

firework

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of firework

Examples from the Web for fireworks

fireworks

pl n

firework

noun

fireworks