What does arson mean?
Arson is the crime of deliberately setting fire to property, most often buildings, though vehicles, forests, and other property can also be targets. It is a serious criminal offence in virtually every legal system, distinguished from accidental fires by the element of intent: for a fire to be classified as arson, someone must have started it wilfully and maliciously. The word appears constantly in news reporting ('police suspect arson'), court proceedings ('charged with arson'), and insurance contexts, where policies typically exclude coverage for losses caused by the policyholder's own arson. A person who commits arson may be called an arsonist. The term carries uniformly negative connotations and belongs to a formal register, though it is widely understood. Its enduring relevance lies in how frequently fires must be investigated for criminal cause, making arson a staple of both legal vocabulary and crime journalism.
nounThe criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property, especially a building.
- The criminal act of intentionally and maliciously setting fire to property, especially buildings.
"The warehouse fire was quickly determined to be arson, not an accident."
"Investigators concluded that the blaze at the abandoned mill was arson."
"He was sentenced to ten years in prison for committing arson against his own business."
Rarely used; 'arson' is normally treated as uncountable. The plural appears mainly in statistical or comparative contexts, such as police reports counting multiple incidents.
"Arsons in the city rose sharply last summer."
Arson is one of the few crimes named after the very thing it destroys — the Latin word for 'burning' — and it's been on the statute books since medieval England.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of arson
Arson comes from the Old French 'arsion', derived from the Late Latin 'arsionem', a noun formed from the verb 'ardere', meaning 'to burn'. The same Latin root gives English words such as 'ardent' and 'ardor', which preserve the sense of burning in a figurative, emotional way. The word entered English in the medieval period through Anglo-Norman legal usage, which is why it remains firmly associated with criminal law today.
Related word forms
How arson is actually used
Arson is a formal legal term used in both everyday news reporting and criminal law. It carries strongly negative connotations and always implies deliberate intent — accidental fires are never described as arson. It is an uncountable noun in most contexts; 'an act of arson' or 'a case of arson' are common ways of referring to individual incidents.
Easily confused with arson
Arsenic is a poisonous chemical element, whereas arson is the crime of setting fire to property.