fireball

[fahyuh r-bawl] /ˈfaɪərˌbɔl/
noun
1.
a ball of fire, as the sun; a shooting star.
2.
a luminous meteor, sometimes exploding.
3.
lightning having the appearance of a globe of fire; ball lightning.
4.
the highly luminous central portion of a nuclear explosion.
5.
a ball filled with explosive or combustible material, used as a projectile to injure the enemy by explosion or to set fire to their works.
6.
Informal. an exceptionally energetic or ambitious person.
Origin
1545-55; fire + ball1

Roberts

[rob-erts] /ˈrɒb ərts/
noun
1.
Sir Charles George Douglas, 1860–1943, Canadian poet and novelist.
2.
Elizabeth Madox
[mad-uh ks] /ˈmæd əks/ (Show IPA), 1886–1941, U.S. poet and novelist.
3.
Frederick Sleigh
[sley] /sleɪ/ (Show IPA), Earl ("Bobs Bahadur") 1832–1914, British field marshal.
4.
Glenn ("Fireball") 1929–64, U.S. racing-car driver.
5.
Kenneth (Lewis) 1885–1957, U.S. novelist and essayist.
6.
Oral, 1918–2009, U.S. evangelist.
7.
Owen Josephus
[joh-see-fuh s] /dʒoʊˈsi fəs/ (Show IPA), 1875–1955, U.S. jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1930–45.
8.
Richard John, born 1943, U.S. molecular biologist, born in England: Nobel prize 1993.
Examples from the web for fireball
  • Eyewitness reports describe fireball meteors as being brighter than any visible star or planet and even the full moon.
  • As the chemicals mixed, they ignited to create a giant fireball thousands of feet in the air.
  • What began as a modest, seemingly containable fire erupted into a deadly fireball with a ferocity that baffled investigators.
  • His influence extends even to people who have never conjured a fireball in anger.
  • The right wing was torn completely away and tumbled end-over-end in a brilliant exploding fireball.
  • Then came the airline flight that exploded in a giant fireball against the south tower.
  • On the minus side, the extra fuel sometimes exploded on impact, turning the car into a fireball.
  • It is a lot tougher on the planetary system inside the decay fireball.
  • One night the water heater kicked on, igniting a fireball that knocked down the walls.
  • Tens of thousands of years flash by in a few seconds as the churning gas clouds begin to coalesce into a nascent fireball.
British Dictionary definitions for fireball

fireball

/ˈfaɪəˌbɔːl/
noun
1.
a ball-shaped discharge of lightning
2.
the bright spherical region of hot ionized gas at the centre of a nuclear explosion
3.
(astronomy) another name for bolide
4.
(slang) an energetic person

Roberts

/ˈrɒbəts/
noun
1.
Frederick Sleigh, 1st Earl. 1832–1914, British field marshal. He was awarded the Victoria Cross (1858) for his service during the Indian Mutiny and was commander in chief (1899–1900) in the second Boer War
2.
Julia. born 1967, US film actress; her films include Pretty Woman (1990), Notting Hill (1999), Erin Brockovich (2000), which earned her an Academy Award, and Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
Word Origin and History for fireball
n.

1550s, from fire (n.) + ball (n.1).

Slang definitions & phrases for fireball

fireball

noun

ball of fire