Meaning & use
fireballs
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“fireballs” is a form of “fireball”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Very bright balls of fire, especially meteors that burn with a glowing trail as they fall through the sky.
Grammar: Plural countable noun; the singular is fireball. Use it for more than one, or with plural verbs: fireballs were seen.
Patterns
- see fireballs
- fireballs streak across the sky
- a shower of fireballs
People in the north saw several fireballs cross the sky last night.
The camera caught two bright fireballs before they disappeared behind the hills.
Astronomers say these fireballs are small space rocks burning up in the air.
nounpluralfigurative
Balls of fire used as weapons in stories, games, or fantasy films.
Grammar: Plural countable noun; often used in fantasy or gaming contexts. The singular is fireball.
Patterns
- throw fireballs
- shoot fireballs
- dodge fireballs
In the game, the wizard throws fireballs at his enemies.
The children pretended to shoot fireballs from their hands.
The dragon breathed fireballs that lit up the whole cave.
Word forms
| singular | fireball |
|---|
Common combinations
- bright fireballs
- Bright fireballs lit up the night sky.
- fireballs streak across the sky
- We watched fireballs streak across the sky.
- throw fireballs
- The character can throw fireballs in the game.
Synonyms and how they differ
- meteor
- A meteor is the general word for a space rock burning in the sky; a fireball is a very bright one, so use fireball when you mean an unusually bright meteor.
- bolide
- Bolide is a technical term for a large, bright fireball; it is used mainly by scientists, while fireball is the everyday word.
Word family
- fireball noun
- The singular form: one bright ball of fire.
Commonly confused: fireballs or fire ball?
fireballs vs fire ball
Fire ball is usually written as one word (fireball) or two words only in very literal descriptions of a ball that is on fire. For the sky event or game weapon, use fireball.
Practice
Complete the sentence: Last night, several ______ were seen falling across the sky.
Choose one answer.
We need a plural noun because of 'several', so 'fireballs' is correct. 'Fireball' is singular and would need 'a' or 'one'; 'a fireball' cannot follow 'several'; 'fireballing' is not a standard noun form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fireballs”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.