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Synonyms

flamethrower

American  
[fleym-throh-er] / ˈfleɪmˌθroʊ ər /

noun

  • flamethrowers
    plural
  1. a weapon, either mounted or portable, that sprays ignited incendiary fuel for some distance.

  2. Agriculture. flame cultivator.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of flamethrower

First recorded in 1915–20; flame + thrower

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:

"At that time, I was behaving a little bit like this flamethrower," she explained.

From Barron's Apr. 30, 2026

They gave lefty flamethrower Blake Snell $182 million.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 2, 2025

South Korean police said they would seek an arrest warrant for a woman who set fire to her apartment building while trying to kill a cockroach with an improvised flamethrower, local media report.

From BBC Oct. 20, 2025

He was followed by flamethrower Edgardo Henriquez, who walked the first two hitters and gave up a hit to the third, forcing in two runs.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 1, 2025

The flamethrower lay extinguished on the ground beside him.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

Now, fans fear that he will join the list of young flamethrowers who will go through the Tommy John rite of passage.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 14, 2026

Dozens of stores selling fireworks resembling flamethrowers and packaged in garish boxes saw little foot traffic on a weekday morning.

From Barron's Feb. 13, 2026

The film contains more than 1,000 digital fire FX shots, ranging from flaming arrows and flamethrowers to massive explosions and fire tornadoes.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 22, 2025

Jaeger is an adventurous fellow who is fond of flamethrowers and scorns Searcher whose preferred tool is a hoe.

From Seattle Times Nov. 22, 2022

Nail files, hedge trimmers, and homemade flamethrowers were more his speed.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

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