Standard Lemma guide

fireball

adj · noun · verb · 21 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfaɪəbɔːl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈfaɪəɹˌbɔl/
  • General-American: /-ɑl/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: F AY1 ER0 B AO2 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: F AY1 R B AO2 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Excellent, terrific.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ace, admirable, amazing, awe-inspiring, awesome, badass, bang on, bang-up, studly, based, beatific, beneship, bitching, blissful, bomb, brilliant, bully, celestial, cher, choice, chronic, chur, cock on, commendable, cool, copacetic, crackerjack, cushty, dank, def, delightful, divine, dope, epic, excellent, exceptional, exemplary, exquisite, extraordinary, fab, fabulous, fantabulosa, fantastic, fierce, finger-lickin' good, fire, fireball, first-rate, fly, frabjous, glorious, gnarly, goated, great, grouse, heavenlike, heavenly, immaculate, impeccable, incredible, kick-ass, kicking, killer, lash, lautitious, lit, magnificent, marvelous, nang, outstanding, out of sight, phat, peak, peng, phenomenal, pog, poggers, priceless, pukka, quality, rad, radical, remarkable, rum, sensational, sick, slap-up, slick, spectacular, spiffing, splendid, spot on, stellar, sterling, stunning, super, superb, superior, sweet, swell, terrific, tight, top, top-drawer, top-hole, top-notch, top-of-the-range, top-shelf, topping, tubular, tuff, well-done, wicked, wicked pissah, wonderful, worldie

Antonyms: abysmal, atrocious, awful, bad, chronic, coarse, corny, crap, crapalicious, crappy, crummy, deityforsaken, dire, disagreeable, dismal, dogshit, dreadful, fifth-rate, foul, fourth-rate, godawful, hellish, hideous, hopeless, horrendous, horrid, horrible, horrific, inadequate, incompetent, inelegant, intolerable, inferior, lackluster, loathsome, lousy, miserable, naff, negative, odious, ordinary, pathetic, peak, piss-poor, rotten, rubbish, shitawful, shitty, sixth-rate, sloppy, subpar, terrible, unfavorable, wack

2

noun

Meaning 2

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A feisty, strong-willed person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Synonym of fastball (“a high-speed pitch of a baseball”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Topics: ball-games, baseball, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fastball

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A bright glow caused by a spacecraft re-entering an atmosphere.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: aerospace, astronautics, business, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A meteor bright enough to cast shadows; a bolide.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bolis

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A class of sailing dinghy with a single trapeze and a symmetrical spinnaker, sailed by a crew of two.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: nautical, sailing, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A bag or ball filled with combustible material which is thrown as a weapon or to set something alight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: engineering, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, tools, war, weaponry

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: engineering, government, heraldry, hobbies, lifestyle, military, monarchy, natural-sciences, nobility, physical-sciences, politics, tools, war, weaponry

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

An emanation of St. Elmo's fire; also (later), of ball lightning.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

A ball-shaped firelighter (“small block of a flammable substance, typically a combination of sawdust and wax, used to light fires”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

A ball of heat-resistant material placed in a fire to slow down the burning of the fuel.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

A statement intended to cause dissension or as a provocation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

verb

Meaning 14

To attack (someone or something) with balls of fire.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: fantasy, fiction, literature, media, publishing, science-fiction

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

verb

Meaning 15

To explode in a ball of fire or flame.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

verb

Meaning 16

To emerge suddenly; to explode.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

17

verb

Meaning 17

To pitch a baseball very fast.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: ball-games, baseball, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

18

noun

Meaning 18

the luminous center of a nuclear explosion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ball, globe, orb

19

noun

Meaning 19

a ball of fire (such as the sun or a ball-shaped discharge of lightning)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ball, globe, orb

20

noun

Meaning 20

a highly energetic and indefatigable person

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: powerhouse, human dynamo, ball of fire

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: actor, doer, worker

Narrower terms: self-starter

21

noun

Meaning 21

an especially luminous meteor (sometimes exploding)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bolide

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: meteor, shooting star

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

38 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: كُرَة نَارِيَّة (kura nāriyya) — ball of fire
  • Danish: ildkugle — ball of fire
  • Danish: kuglelyn — ball of fire
  • Dutch: vuurbal — ball of fire
  • Dutch: vuurbol — ball of fire
  • Esperanto: fajropilko — ball of fire
  • Finnish: tulipallo — ball of fire
  • French: boule de feu — ball of fire
  • German: Feuerball — ball of fire
  • Hawaiian: pōpōahi — ball of fire
  • Hungarian: tűzgolyó — ball of fire
  • Italian: bolide — ball of fire
  • Italian: palla di fuoco — ball of fire
  • Japanese: 火球 (kakyū) — ball of fire
  • Japanese: 火の玉 (hi no tama) — ball of fire
  • Latin: igneus nōdus — ball of fire
  • Macedonian: о́гнена то́пка (ógnena tópka) — ball of fire
  • Persian: آذرگوی (âzarguy) — ball of fire
  • Persian: آتشگوی (âtaš-guy) — ball of fire
  • Portuguese: bola de fogo — ball of fire
  • Romanian: minge de foc — ball of fire
  • Russian: о́гненный шар (ógnennyj šar) — ball of fire
  • Swedish: eldklot — ball of fire
  • Tagalog: pabilog na apoy — ball of fire
  • Thai: ลูกไฟ (lûuk-fai) — ball of fire
  • Volapük: filaglöp — ball of fire
  • Finnish: tulisielu — feisty, strong-willed person
  • Finnish: tulipallo — bright glow caused by a spacecraft re-entering the atmosphere
  • Finnish: tulipallo — bag or ball filled with combustible material; (heraldry) charge depicting a disc-shaped bombshell
  • Finnish: fireball-jolla — class of sailing dinghy
  • French: fireball — class of sailing dinghy
  • German: Fireball — class of sailing dinghy
  • Icelandic: fireball — class of sailing dinghy
  • Icelandic: eldhnöttur — class of sailing dinghy
  • Italian: fireball — class of sailing dinghy
  • Finnish: hyökätä tulipalloin — to attack (someone or something) with balls of fire
  • Finnish: räjähtää tulipalloksi — to explode in a ball of fire or flame
  • Finnish: syöttää nopea syöttö — to pitch a baseball very fast