arson
Americannoun
-
arsons
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of arson
First recorded in 1670–80; from Anglo-French, Old French, from Late Latin ārsiōn-, stem of ārsiō “a burn,” from ārs(us) “burned” (past participle of Latin ārd(ere) “to burn”; cf. ardent) + -iō -ion
Explanation
If you deliberately light logs on fire to roast marshmallows, you have camping skills. If you deliberately set your whole house on fire to collect the insurance money, you've committed arson. The noun arson comes from the Latin word ardere, meaning "to burn." Arson is the act of setting something on fire for a nefarious purpose, and it is, of course, illegal. If you live in a wildfire risk area, you know that sometimes wildfires are caused by natural causes like lightening, sometimes they're caused accidentally by carelessness, and sadly they're sometimes caused by a deliberate act of arson.
Vocabulary lists containing arson
Born a Crime
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Hate U Give
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Flush
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That same month, Slovak authorities said they thwarted a planned arson attack on a Ukrainian drone factory there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Eisenkot vowed to use "an iron fist" against anyone acting outside the law and to prevent settler raids and arson against Palestinians.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Earlier this year the Brits identified an arson wave targeting U.K.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
In a separate development on Friday, Poland's prosecutors opened an investigation in what they said was an arson attack on a Starlink satellite station in Wola Krobowska on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
There had been some speculation that it was caused by arson.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Jane Lee from the Keighley Civic Society has previously called for more security measures at the mill to prevent further trespass and arsons.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024
Local media quoting the Charleroi prosecutor’s office said the investigation has not established a link between the six arsons so far.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023
There were 18 reports of arson for 2022, twice the total of 2021 and 61% higher than the 11 arsons reported in 2018.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
He thinks the person responsible could have been one of those detained last month in a string of arsons in North Hollywood, or possibly someone evicted from the house in the flyer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2022
They have by statistics, as you might find, fewer thefts, fewer arsons, fewer murders.
From New Tabernacle Sermons by T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt) Talmage
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
