firebomb

firebomb — noun

IPA/ˈfaɪəbɒm/
KK[fˈaɪɚbˌɑm]IPA/ˈfaɪərbɑːm/
  • firebombsingular
  • firebombsplural

1. a bomb used to set a building, vehicle, or another target on fire

1.nounC2
Definition

a bomb used to set a building, vehicle, or another target on fire

Example

Police found a homemade firebomb under the steps of the town hall.

find a homemade firebomb before an attack

During the protest, Eli saw a firebomb smash through the bakery window.

a firebomb thrown through a window

Common collocations
  • homemade firebomb
  • throw a firebomb
  • firebomb attack
  • firebomb under a doorway
Synonyms
  • incendiary bomb

    is the broader formal term for a bomb designed to start fires

  • petrol bomb

    usually means a simple bottle weapon filled with fuel, especially in British English

  • Molotov cocktail

    names a hand-thrown improvised firebomb rather than every kind of firebomb

Grammar Patterns

a firebomb under a doorway

throw a firebomb at a building

find a homemade firebomb

Usage Note

Usually appears in news reports, police accounts, or history writing about attacks on places. It stresses the device's ability to start a fire, not a large blast.

Common Mistakes

The wall cracked because the firebomb had a huge explosion.
The wall burned because the firebomb set the room on fire.
A firebomb is mainly described by the fire it starts, not by blast force.

firebomb — verb

IPA/ˈfaɪə.bɒm/
KK[fˈaɪɚbˌɑm]IPA/ˈfaɪr.bɑːm/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A firebomb is any bomb meant to start a fire in the target, so it is the broad everyday term in news and history writing. Incendiary bomb is more formal and is common in military, technical, or legal descriptions. Petrol bomb usually refers to a simple bottle weapon filled with fuel, especially in British English and in reports about street violence. Molotov cocktail is the best-known name for that improvised bottle form, but it is narrower than firebomb because not every firebomb is a bottle weapon. A report might say that a warehouse was hit by a firebomb, while a witness might say that someone threw a Molotov cocktail through the window.

firebomb ↗incendiary bombpetrol bombMolotov cocktail ↗

Etymology

English

Formed in English by combining fire and bomb. The compound names a bomb by what it is designed to do: start a destructive fire rather than rely mainly on blast force.

First known use

1685

1685, in the meaning defined above