firestorm

or fire storm

[ fahyuhr-stawrm ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an atmospheric phenomenon, caused by a large fire, in which the rising column of air above the fire draws in strong winds often accompanied by rain.
a raging fire of great intensity, as one fueled by oil or gas, that spreads rapidly.

firestorm

/ ˈfaɪəˌstɔːm /

an uncontrollable blaze sustained by violent winds that are drawn into the column of rising hot air over the burning area: often the result of heavy bombing

First recorded in 1575–85; fire + storm

The tweet set off an Internet firestorm and was retweeted nearly 15,000 times in less than an hour.

GOP staffer Elizabeth Lauten set off a firestorm after criticizing Sasha and Malia Obama.

He now finds himself at the epic center of a firestorm having earlier been caught on camera throwing “liquids” at the police.

When I finally got a chance to read the piece in question, I was somewhat surprised by the firestorm.

The article sparked another firestorm in American and Israeli circles, with dueling accusations of betrayal and stabs-in-the-back.

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