Molotov cocktail

American  

noun

1. a crude incendiary grenade consisting of a bottle filled with a flammable liquid and a wick that is ignited before throwing: used originally for setting fire to enemy tanks during the Spanish Civil War.

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Molotov cocktail British  

/ ˈmɒləˌtɒf /

noun

1. an elementary incendiary weapon, usually a bottle of petrol with a short-delay fuse or wick; petrol bomb

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Molotov cocktail Cultural  

1. An incendiary bomb made from a breakable container, such as a bottle, filled with flammable liquid and provided with a rag wick. Used by the Soviets against the invading German armies in World War II, these bombs were nicknamed after V. M. Molotov, a foreign minister of the Soviet Union at that time.

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Etymology

Origin of Molotov cocktail

First recorded in 1935–40; named after V. M. Molotov

Example Sentences

Yet, Paul Thomas Anderson’s fun and fizzy adaptation views its Molotov cocktail as half-full.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025

“Sorry to Bother You” is a Molotov cocktail in movie form, an explosive introduction to the brain of Boots Riley, who blends Michel Gondry’s playfulness with Spike Lee’s verve.

From Washington Post • Jun. 29, 2018

The new tactic has been dubbed the “poopootov” in a play on the Molotov cocktail often seen at streets protests in Venezuela.

From The Guardian • May 9, 2017

But with a new proposal, the Financial Accounting Standards Board has lobbed a miniature Molotov cocktail into the usually staid world of audit standards, upsetting investor groups and experts in the field.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2016

"American Idiot" was warmly received in its Berkeley Repertory Theatre debut, and hit Broadway in April 2010 like a musical Molotov cocktail.

From Seattle Times • May 30, 2012