fireball

noun

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

   “He placed his arms in a blocking position, but even so, the fireball threw all three of them, Kylie, Percival, and Kelly, onto the wall.”

   “At 7:45 p.m. there was a sudden “whooshing” noise, and a mercilessly intense fireball exploded from under the escalator, ballooned up into the ticket hall and ignited all combustible material in the area. As a result of the flashover of the fireball, the temperature rose by several hundred degrees in a matter of seconds, and it was believed that it reached 600°C with zero visibility.”

   “In a moment, he was caught by the blast. He threw up his arms to cover his head as the surge of energy created by the fireball threw him aside.”

   “At the time of this photo, Royal Marine Gunner Bryan Gasson is pretty much dead centre in this photo, and yes, that means he is literally inside that socking great fireball as the magazines detonate.”

   “As Elon Musk returns his focus to his businesses, one of his most important companies just had another setback: A SpaceX Starship rocket exploded in an immense fireball Wednesday during a routine ground test.”

2. (figuratively, informal)A feisty, strong-willed person.

   “But ſure in a family it bodeth moſt bad, vvhen tvvo firebals (huſbands and vvives anger) come both together.”

   “Her folks have a lot of money. I've never seen her, but she must be quite a fireball.”

   “And Lydia's a sassy little fireball. Today's her first day of first grade, and I'm just glad her teacher hasn't had to call.”

3. (figuratively)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.

   “[page 1] There ſeem to be three concentric ſtrata of our incumbent atmoſphere; in vvhich, or betvveen them, are produced four kinds of meteors; lightning, ſhooting ſtars, fire-balls, and northern lights. […] [page 2] Dr. [Charles] Blagden has related the hiſtory of another large meteor, or fire-ball, vvhich vvas ſeen the 18th of Auguſt, 1783, vvith many ingenious obſervations and conjectures.”

   “In December 1997, a fireball passed eastward before dawn over the southwestern corner of Greenland, and then blew up into at least four fragments. Just five days later, according to reports from Colombia, three fireballs struck Bogotá, one of them causing the death of four children by setting their home ablaze.”

   “Ninety-four years after the Tunguska fireball. […] A US Air Force spots an object as it enters the atmosphere, but loses track of it as it falls below 30 kilometres. Moments later a second satellite records a fireball exploding in the clouded sky.”

6. A class of sailing dinghy with a single trapeze and a symmetrical spinnaker, sailed by a crew of two.
7. (historical)A bag or ball filled with combustible material which is thrown as a weapon or to set something alight.

   “[T]he ſlingers and archers together, vvith others alſo tumbling dovvne huge ſtones, vvith firebrands and fireballs, ſet them further off.”

8. (historical)A bag or ball filled with combustible material which is thrown as a weapon or to set something alight.
9. (obsolete)An emanation of St. Elmo's fire; also (later), of ball lightning.

   “[T]here vvas ſuch a Tempeſt & thunder vvith great firebals of lightning, that the vault of the church brake, and halfe the Chancell vvas carried avvay.”

   “It is an obſervation of Seamen, That if a ſingle meteor or fireball falls on their maſt, it portends ill luck; but if tvvo come together (vvhich they count Caſtor and Pollux) they preſage good ſucceſſe: […]”

10. (obsolete)A ball-shaped firelighter (“small block of a flammable substance, typically a combination of sawdust and wax, used to light fires”).
11. (obsolete)A ball of heat-resistant material placed in a fire to slow down the burning of the fuel.
12. (figuratively, obsolete)A statement intended to cause dissension or as a provocation.

adj

1. (not-comparable, slang)Excellent, terrific.

   “"Give us a hand," said Mack. "How's she look?" / "Fireball," said Eddie.”

verb

1. (transitive)To attack (someone or something) with balls of fire.
2. (intransitive)To explode in a ball of fire or flame.

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

   “On Feb. 24, [Yaroslava] Mahuchikh (pronounced ma-GU–chi-huh or ma-HU-chick) was startled awake by shuddering booms in Dnipro, her hometown, in east-central Ukraine. Russia had begun its invasion. An explosion, caught on video, fireballed into the dark sky. Dnipro's airport and area military facilities had come under attack.”

3. (figuratively, intransitive)To emerge suddenly; to explode.

   “But the swoon was only brief. [Klay] Thompson scorched his way to 27 first-half points, the Warriors fireballed back into a 17-point lead and a statement half was sealed from the deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep left corner, early in the clock and without a dribble – vintage Klay, vintage Warriors.”

4. (intransitive)To pitch a baseball very fast.