Fireball

//ˈfaɪəbɔːl// adj, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Excellent, terrific. not-comparable, slang

    ""Give us a hand," said Mack. "How's she look?" / "Fireball," said Eddie."

Noun
  1. 1
    A ball of fire, especially one associated with an explosion, or (fiction, mythology) thrown as a weapon.

    "He placed his arms in a blocking position, but even so, the fireball threw all three of them, Kylie, Percival, and Kelly, onto the wall."

  2. 2
    the luminous center of a nuclear explosion wordnet
  3. 3
    A feisty, strong-willed person. figuratively, informal

    "But ſure in a family it bodeth moſt bad, vvhen tvvo firebals (huſbands and vvives anger) come both together."

  4. 4
    a ball of fire (such as the sun or a ball-shaped discharge of lightning) wordnet
  5. 5
    Synonym of fastball (“a high-speed pitch of a baseball”). figuratively
Show 11 more definitions
  1. 6
    a highly energetic and indefatigable person wordnet
  2. 7
    A bright glow caused by a spacecraft re-entering an atmosphere.
  3. 8
    an especially luminous meteor (sometimes exploding) wordnet
  4. 9
    A meteor bright enough to cast shadows; a bolide.

    "[page 1] There ſeem to be three concentric ſtrata of our incumbent atmoſphere; in vvhich, or betvveen them, are produced four kinds of meteors; lightning, ſhooting ſtars, fire-balls, and northern lights. […] [page 2] Dr. [Charles] Blagden has related the hiſtory of another large meteor, or fire-ball, vvhich vvas ſeen the 18th of Auguſt, 1783, vvith many ingenious obſervations and conjectures."

  5. 10
    A class of sailing dinghy with a single trapeze and a symmetrical spinnaker, sailed by a crew of two.
  6. 11
    A bag or ball filled with combustible material which is thrown as a weapon or to set something alight. historical

    "[T]he ſlingers and archers together, vvith others alſo tumbling dovvne huge ſtones, vvith firebrands and fireballs, ſet them further off."

  7. 12
    A bag or ball filled with combustible material which is thrown as a weapon or to set something alight.; A charge depicting a disc-shaped bombshell with flames emitted from the top, or sometimes from the top, bottom, and on either side. historical
  8. 13
    An emanation of St. Elmo's fire; also (later), of ball lightning. obsolete

    "[T]here vvas ſuch a Tempeſt & thunder vvith great firebals of lightning, that the vault of the church brake, and halfe the Chancell vvas carried avvay."

  9. 14
    A ball-shaped firelighter (“small block of a flammable substance, typically a combination of sawdust and wax, used to light fires”). obsolete
  10. 15
    A ball of heat-resistant material placed in a fire to slow down the burning of the fuel. obsolete
  11. 16
    A statement intended to cause dissension or as a provocation. figuratively, obsolete
Verb
  1. 1
    To attack (someone or something) with balls of fire. transitive
  2. 2
    To explode in a ball of fire or flame. intransitive

    "The car swerved off a road, hit a wall, and fireballed as the petrol tank exploded."

  3. 3
    To emerge suddenly; to explode. figuratively, intransitive

    "But the swoon was only brief. [Klay] Thompson scorched his way to 27 first-half points, the Warriors fireballed back into a 17-point lead and a statement half was sealed from the deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep left corner, early in the clock and without a dribble – vintage Klay, vintage Warriors."

  4. 4
    To pitch a baseball very fast. intransitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

The noun is derived from fire (noun) + ball (noun). The adjective and verb are derived from the noun.

Etymology 2

The noun is derived from fire (noun) + ball (noun). The adjective and verb are derived from the noun.

Etymology 3

The noun is derived from fire (noun) + ball (noun). The adjective and verb are derived from the noun.

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