Vesuvius

American  

[vuh-soo-vee-uhs] / vəˈsu vi əs /

noun

1. Mount, an active volcano in SW Italy, near Naples. Its eruption destroyed the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum a.d. 79. About 3,900 feet (1,190 meters).

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Vesuvius British  

/ vɪˈsuːvɪəs /

noun

1. Italian name: Vesuvio.  a volcano in SW Italy, on the Bay of Naples: first recorded eruption in 79 _ad , which destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae; numerous eruptions since then. Average height: 1220 m (4003 ft)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Vesuvius

Vesuvius in AD 79, he wasn’t just horrified, he was mesmerized, even excited; amid all that death it felt like the past was alive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

A mechanical artwork first imagined in 1775 to recreate the eruption of Italy's Mount Vesuvius has been brought to life for the first time, 250 years after it was conceived.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 2026

Birth amid the early Industrial Revolution, training with Joshua Reynolds’s teacher, and a budget visit to see Naples and Vesuvius.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

A market miles away from Vesuvius may have saved the lives of many who would have otherwise been in the volcano’s path of destruction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

Newspapers launched crusades against pestilent alleys and excess smoke and identified the worst offenders in print—among them Burnham’s newly opened Masonic Temple, which the Chicago Tribune likened to Mount Vesuvius.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson