A firestorm is a fire that is burning uncontrollably, usually in a place that has been bombed.
2. countable noun
If you say that there is a firestormof protest or criticism, you are emphasizing that there is a great deal of very fierce protest or criticism.
[US, emphasis]
The speech has resulted in a firestorm of controversy.
firestorm in British English
(ˈfaɪəˌstɔːm)
noun
an uncontrollable blaze sustained by violent winds that are drawn into the column of rising hot air over the burning area: often the result of heavy bombing
firestorm in American English
(ˈfaɪrˌstɔrm)
noun
1.
an intense fire over a large area, as one initiated by an atomic explosion, that is sustained and spread by the inrushing winds created by the strong draft of rising hot air
2.
a strong, often violent, outburst, disturbance, or upheaval
Examples of 'firestorm' in a sentence
firestorm
The popular journals sparked a firestorm of protest.
Divine, Robert A. (editor) & Breen, T. H & Frederickson, George M & Williams, R. Hal America Past and Present (1995)
What did we learn in the midst of the firestorm of publicity and controversy?
Christianity Today (2000)
It triggered a firestorm of criticism from across the political spectrum, including some of his most stalwart conservative backers.