arsonnoun [ U ]
uk/ˈɑː.sən/us/ˈɑːr.sən/UK also fire-raisingthe crime of intentionally starting a fire in order to damage or destroy something, especially a building:
A cinema was burned out in north London last night. Police suspect arson.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Crimes against property
- criminal damage
- fire-raising
- fly-posting
- hooligan
- interloper
- trespass
- vandalism
- vandalize
arsonist
noun [ C ] uk/ˈɑː.sən.ɪst/us/ˈɑːr.sən.ɪst/UK also fire-raiser
Police are blaming arsonists for the spate of fires in the Greenfields housing estate.