arson
noun
ar·son
| \ ˈär-sᵊn
\
\
Definition of arson
: the willful or malicious burning of property (such as a building) especially with criminal or fraudulent intent
Arson was determined to be the cause of the fire.
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Other Words from arson
arsonist
\ -ist
\
noun
\
noun
arsonous
\ -əs
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of arson in a Sentence
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but investigators suspect arson.
The town has suffered a rash of arson attacks.
The town has suffered a rash of arsons.
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Recent Examples on the Web
The defendants argued that city workers were to blame for not raising concerns about fire hazards and said the fire was arson. — Washington Post, "California warehouse fire case limps on after hung jury," 6 Sep. 2019 The defendants argued that city workers were to blame for not raising concerns about fire hazards and said the fire was arson. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "1 acquitted in deadly warehouse fire; jury deadlocks on 2nd," 5 Sep. 2019 The fire was eventually proven to be arson, though the culprit was never caught. — Birmingham Magazine, al, "Birmingham magazine’s Best and Worst of Birmingham," 3 Sep. 2019 The defendants argued that city workers were to blame for not raising concerns about fire hazards and said the fire was arson. — Fox News, "Judge orders jury to restart deliberations in deadly Oakland warehouse fire case," 20 Aug. 2019 The defendants argued that city workers were to blame for not raising concerns about fire hazards and said the fire was arson. — NBC News, "3 jurors dismissed from deadly 'Ghost Ship' warehouse fire trial," 20 Aug. 2019 Detectives determined later Monday that the fire was an arson, Chicago police spokesman Tom Ahern said in a tweet Monday afternoon. — Katherine Rosenberg-douglas, chicagotribune.com, "Extra-alarm fire on West Side that left 6 injured was arson, police say," 29 July 2019 Housing developers suspect many of the fires were arson, set by people against the rapid development of expensive properties and gentrification. — Gwendolyn Wu, SFChronicle.com, "ATF agents investigate North Oakland construction site fire," 26 July 2019 No arrests have been made and a sign outside of the home says that the fire was arson. — Kaylee Remington, cleveland.com, "One dead, eight hurt in West Side Cleveland house fire police say was set on purpose," 20 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arson.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for arson
arson
noun
English Language Learners Definition of arson
: the illegal burning of a building or other property : the crime of setting fire to something
See the full definition for arson in the English Language Learners Dictionary
arson
noun
ar·son
| \ ˈär-sᵊn
\
\
Kids Definition of arson
: the illegal burning of a building or other property
arson
noun
ar·son
| \ ˈärs-ᵊn
\
\
Legal Definition of arson
: the act or crime of willfully, wrongfully, and unjustifiably setting property on fire often for the purpose of committing fraud (as on an insurance company)
Other Words from arson
arsonist
\ -ist
\
noun
\
noun
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