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View synonyms for Molotov cocktail

Molotov cocktail

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.


Molotov cocktail

/ ˈmɒləˌtɒf /

noun

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


Molotov cocktail

  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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Word History and Origins

Origin of Molotov cocktail1

First recorded in 1935–40; named after V. M. Molotov
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Molotov cocktail1

C20: named after V. M. Molotov
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Example Sentences

A Molotov cocktail tumbled in an arc overhead and erupted briefly in a blaze.

One landlord even paid somebody to hurl a Molotov cocktail into an apartment just to smoke out tenants and jack up rents.

I knew immediately that the chemistry was a Molotov cocktail.

While Davis was campaigning for that most recent election, her office was attacked with a Molotov cocktail.

Local media had been reporting that the arsonist was using some kind of Molotov cocktail to smash through the car windows.

I could have made a Molotov cocktail by filling it with gas and using the rag for a fuse.

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