# fireball

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfaɪəbɔːl/ · frequency rank #22,971

## Definitions
1. A ball of fire, especially one associated with an explosion, or (fiction, mythology) thrown as a weapon.
2. A feisty, strong-willed person.
3. Synonym of fastball (“a high-speed pitch of a baseball”).
4. A bright glow caused by a spacecraft re-entering an atmosphere.
5. A meteor bright enough to cast shadows; a bolide.
6. A class of sailing dinghy with a single trapeze and a symmetrical spinnaker, sailed by a crew of two.
7. A bag or ball filled with combustible material which is thrown as a weapon or to set something alight.
8. A bag or ball filled with combustible material which is thrown as a weapon or to set something alight.
9. An emanation of St. Elmo's fire; also (later), of ball lightning.
10. A ball-shaped firelighter (“small block of a flammable substance, typically a combination of sawdust and wax, used to light fires”).
11. A ball of heat-resistant material placed in a fire to slow down the burning of the fuel.
12. A statement intended to cause dissension or as a provocation.

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

## Easily confused with
- **firewall** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fireball-vs-firewall)

## Common misspellings (10)
`ffireball`, `fierball`, `firbeall`, `fireabll`, `firebal`, `firebball`, `fireblal`, `firreball`, `frieball`, `ifreball`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fireball