firestorm
noun
fire·storm
ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌstȯrm 
1
: a very intense and destructive fire usually accompanied by high winds
The Rooses' house and gardens were obliterated in the 1991 Oakland firestorm.—
Craig Summers Black
Craig Summers Black
especially
: one that is started by attack with nuclear or incendiary weapons and that creates a powerful updraft which causes very strong inrushing winds to develop in the surrounding area
His goal was to create firestorms like the ones that had consumed Hamburg and Dresden, conflagrations so vast and intense that nothing could survive them … —David M. Kennedy
David M. Kennedy 2
a
: a sudden or violent outburst
a firestorm of public protest
b
: a raging controversy
a political firestorm
Examples of firestorm in a Sentence
The bombing left the city engulfed in a firestorm.
His proposal set off a political firestorm.
a firestorm of public protest
Recent Examples on the Web
Ukraine named the ship at the center of Tuesday's firestorm as Panormitis.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
Internal memos between the justices in 2016 published by The New York Times have created a firestorm around an institution that takes extraordinary measures to keep its contemplations confidential.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2026
New surveillance video from inside a Brooklyn liquor store shows another angle of the rough mistaken identity arrest that ignited a firestorm of criticism, offering a different angle as one of the detectives appears to stomp the prone suspect.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
The city’s spending on the program has generated a firestorm of criticism directed at the mayor on social media after it was first reported by Mass Daily News, an independent outlet, and then shared widely online.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for firestorm
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Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
Internal memos between the justices in 2016 published by The New York Times have created a firestorm around an institution that takes extraordinary measures to keep its contemplations confidential.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2026
New surveillance video from inside a Brooklyn liquor store shows another angle of the rough mistaken identity arrest that ignited a firestorm of criticism, offering a different angle as one of the detectives appears to stomp the prone suspect.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
The city’s spending on the program has generated a firestorm of criticism directed at the mayor on social media after it was first reported by Mass Daily News, an independent outlet, and then shared widely online.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for firestorm
Cite this Entry
“Firestorm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firestorm. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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