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
Synonyms
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
The move has ignited a firestorm on our campus, which has now spread to more than a dozen schools across the country.
—Nara Milanich, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
Things take an ugly turn when the fake cops inadvertently run over and kill an Arab man, triggering a firestorm amongst locals.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
The banter led to a firestorm of back-and-forth among Republican and Democrat supporters.
—Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 25 Mar. 2024
That is, until a social media firestorm rocked festival organizers and James Beard Award-winning chefs like JJ Johnson and Marcus Samuelsson used the opportunity to create spaces for people who looked like them.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
Andrés was soon at the center of a political firestorm again.
—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Expand All The Marion City Council will meet Monday for the first time since police raided the local newspaper, kicking off an international firestorm of condemnation.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
Climate change’s impact on water supplies, forest firestorms and air quality have been front and center for many of us.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Within weeks, the leaders of both Harvard and Penn had quit amid firestorms of controversy.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024
Nara Milanich, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
Things take an ugly turn when the fake cops inadvertently run over and kill an Arab man, triggering a firestorm amongst locals.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
The banter led to a firestorm of back-and-forth among Republican and Democrat supporters.
—Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 25 Mar. 2024
That is, until a social media firestorm rocked festival organizers and James Beard Award-winning chefs like JJ Johnson and Marcus Samuelsson used the opportunity to create spaces for people who looked like them.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
Andrés was soon at the center of a political firestorm again.
—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Expand All The Marion City Council will meet Monday for the first time since police raided the local newspaper, kicking off an international firestorm of condemnation.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
Climate change’s impact on water supplies, forest firestorms and air quality have been front and center for many of us.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Within weeks, the leaders of both Harvard and Penn had quit amid firestorms of controversy.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'firestorm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Firestorm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firestorm. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
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