arson

American  

[ahr-suhn] / ˈɑr sən /

noun

1. Law. the malicious burning of another's house or property, or in some statutes, the burning of one's own house or property, as to collect insurance.

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arson British  

/ ˈɑːsən /

noun

1. criminal law the act of intentionally or recklessly setting fire to another's property or to one's own property for some improper reason

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Other Word Forms

• arsonist noun
• arsonous adjective

Etymology

Origin of arson

First recorded in 1670–80; from Anglo-French, Old French, from Late Latin ārsiōn-, stem of ārsiō “a burn,” from ārs(us) “burned” (past participle of Latin ārd(ere) “to burn”; ardent ) + -iō -ion

Explanation

If you deliberately light logs on fire to roast marshmallows, you have camping skills. If you deliberately set your whole house on fire to collect the insurance money, you've committed arson. The noun arson comes from the Latin word ardere, meaning "to burn." Arson is the act of setting something on fire for a nefarious purpose, and it is, of course, illegal. If you live in a wildfire risk area, you know that sometimes wildfires are caused by natural causes like lightening, sometimes they're caused accidentally by carelessness, and sadly they're sometimes caused by a deliberate act of arson.

Example Sentences

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the incident at the time as a "deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack".

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

They include the bar's French owners, husband and wife Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who face charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

He had worked two decades as a deputy, but was new to the arson and explosive squad.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

No arrests have been made, but the Met said the investigation is looking at an Islamist group with potential links to Iran which has claimed responsibility for a number of similar arson incidents across Europe.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Not with the fire department, which would know right away it was arson and dismiss it as another case of pyromania in a neighborhood crawling with firebugs.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

Related Words

• torching