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arsonist

/ˈɑrsənɪst/
/ˈɑsənɪst/
IPA guide

Other forms: arsonists

An arsonist is someone who deliberately sets houses on fire. Investigators who find empty gas cans near the scene of a blaze tend to suspect an arsonist is responsible.

Arsonists destroy property by burning it; that can mean setting fire to buildings, boats, cars, or forested land. An arsonist's motives can include collecting insurance money after burning their own property — or violent revenge, by burning someone else's. The crime they're committing is arson, which is usually a felony because it's so destructive and dangerous. The Latin root of arsonist means "to burn."

Definitions of arsonist
  1. noun
    a criminal who illegally sets fire to property
    synonyms: firebug, incendiary
    see moresee less
    types:
    barnburner
    someone who burns down a barn
    type of:
    criminal, crook, felon, malefactor, outlaw
    someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
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