Firecracker
noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A small explosive device, typically containing a small amount of gunpowder in a tightly-wound roll of paper, primarily designed to produce a large bang.
"She said she was awakened abruptly Friday night by the kid next door setting off a firecracker."
- 2 firework consisting of a small explosive charge and fuse in a heavy paper casing wordnet
- 3 A peanut butter cracker baked with marijuana, similar in concept to an Alice B. Toklas brownie. slang
- 4 An individual who is quick-tempered, rambunctious, or unpredictable. slang
"Jude Bellingham became the nation’s second youngest World Cup scorer behind Michael Owen when he started the rout – the centrepiece of a performance of power, skill and precision – while Bukayo Saka deserved his two goals, the first a firecracker, as he radiated menace with his every involvement."
Example
More examples"I think the big mistake in education is trying to teach children by using fear as the basic motivation: fear of failing an exam, fear of failing a grade and not staying with your class, etc. On the other hand, interest can produce learning on a scale compared to fear as a Chinese factory explosion to a firecracker."
Etymology
From fire + cracker.
Related phrases
More for "firecracker"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.