arson

noun

ar·​son ˈär-sᵊn How to pronounce arson (audio)
Synonyms 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.
arsonist
ˈär-sᵊn-ist How to pronounce arson (audio)
noun
arsonous
ˈär-sᵊn-əs How to pronounce arson (audio)
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And having survived centuries of royal caprice, and at least one arson attack, the pavilion is now a museum, open to the masses. — Lauren Frayer, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026 These have included arson, high-profile hacks, GPS jamming as well as sabotage actions against key infrastructure, including undersea communication cables, logistics centers and railways. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026 Butch was charged with criminal mischief, arson and reckless endangerment. — Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026 Counterterrorism police had looked into the possible involvement of Iranian proxies in the Jewish ambulance arson, as well as other attacks on Jewish sites in London. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for arson

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French arsun, arson, arsoun "fire, willful setting of a destructive fire, burn on the skin, branding," going back to Gallo-Romance *ārsiōn-, ārsiō, from Latin ārdēre (perfect and supine stem ārs-) "to catch fire, burn, blaze" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at ardent

Note: Outside of Anglo-French, arsun, arson (with a by-form arsion) is sparsely attested in Old and Middle French. Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch notes that medieval attestations and later survivals are markedly regional (west and southwest France, including Normandy and Francophone Brittany). — The normal suffix of verbal action in later classical Latin and Late Latin was -tiōn-, -tiō, added to the verbal base (competing with the u-stem suffix -tus more common in earlier Latin), with the exception of a small number of formations with -iōn-, -iō (see condition entry 1, legion entry 1, region). Because the phonetic stem changes conditioned by the verbal adjective/past participle suffix -tus (Indo-European *-tos) are identical to those conditioned by -tiōn-, -tiō, new formations with this suffix in post-classical Latin and proto-Romance copy the morphophonemic alterations of the verbal adjective. This is evident in *ārsiō, formed from ārdēre. Note that the perfect ārsī and presumed (?) supine ārsum are most likely themselves analogical forms based on second-conjugation verbs such as mansī, mansum (from manēre "to wait, remain"), given that ārdēre (from āridus, ārdus "dry") cannot be of great antiquity in Latin.

First Known Use

circa 1680, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arson was circa 1680

Rhymes for arson

See All Rhymes for arson

Browse Nearby Words

arsoite
arson
arsonate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Arson.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arson. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

arson

noun
ar·​son ˈär-sᵊn How to pronounce arson (audio)
: the illegal burning of a building or other property
arsonist
-əst How to pronounce arson (audio)
noun

Legal Definition

arson

noun
ar·​son ˈärs-ᵊn How to pronounce arson (audio)
: 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)
arsonist
-ist How to pronounce arson (audio)
noun
Etymology

Anglo-French arsoun, alteration of Old French arsin, literally, conflagration, from ars, past participle of ardre to burn

More from Merriam-Webster on arson

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for arson

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about arson

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