fireball

[ˈfaɪə(ɹ)bɔːl]

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A fireball is a bright ball of flame that appears in the sky. You might see one when there's a massive explosion or accident.

When we talk about fireballs, we usually mean big balls of fire that appear after something has exploded or burned intensely. For example, if a plane crashes and it's still burning on impact, you could see a fireball rising from the wreckage. Sometimes, people even use "fireball" to describe a meteor or a shooting star - these are small pieces of rock from space that burn up in the atmosphere and look like bright balls of light for a second. In science fiction movies or games, fireballs can be used as a powerful attack, where a character shoots a big ball of flame at their enemies.

How common is "fireball"?

Word fireball is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

A ball of fire, especially one associated with an explosion.
A meteor bright enough to cast shadows.
A class of sailing dinghy with a single trapeze and a symmetrical spinnaker, sailed by a crew of two.
A charge made of a disc-shaped bomb shell, with four sets of flames, at the top, bottom and on either side.
A ball filled with combustibles to be thrown among enemies.

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bolis

verb

To explode in a ball of flame.
Example: The car swerved off a road, hit a wall, and fireballed as the petrol tank exploded.
To pitch the ball very fast.
To attack with balls of fire.

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Real examples of "fireball" in context

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | Official Trailer

Trailers

Start with a giant fireball?

0:53

I love it! Let's start with a giant fireball.

0:55