bolide

noun

bo·​lide ˈbō-ˌlīd How to pronounce bolide (audio)
-lid
: a large meteor : fireball
especially : one that explodes

Examples of bolide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What is the difference between a fireball and a bolide? — Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 8 Dec. 2025 If the object is larger, like a boulder, and brighter, it’s called a bolide or a fireball. — Patrick M. Shober, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026 The mini bolide style will be exclusive to the Sanlitun store at this stage. — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019 Thursday’s fireball was a special type called a bolide that explodes in a bright terminal flash, according to the organization. — Devon Sayers, CNN Money, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for bolide

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Latin; French bolide, borrowed from Latin bolid-, bolis, borrowed from Greek bolid-, bolís "hunting javelin, bolt (of lightning), throw of dice," derivative of bol- (in bolḗ or bólos "throw, cast"), nominal derivative from the base of bállein "to throw" — more at devil entry 1

Note: The word "bolide" is owed ultimately to the Roman natural historian pliny the Elder. Pliny used Latin bolis, plural bolides, as one of several terms describing "prodigies in the heavens" (caelestia prodigia) in his Natural History (2.37). For meteors in general he employs the word facēs (literally, "torches"), which "are only seen when they are falling" ("non nisi cum decidunt visae"). While some facēs are only burning in their front part, the bolidēs burn continually and hence leave a longer track ("bolis vero perpetua ardens longiorem trahit limitem"). While Pliny's other terms for his heavenly prodigies are fairly straightforward (facēs "torches," lampades "torches, lamps," trabēs "beams"), the Greek loanword bolis has no other record of use in Latin. In Greek it is a sparsely attested word, and it is uncertain what sense Pliny had in mind.

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bolide was in 1784

Browse Nearby Words

Bolger
bolide
bolillo
See all Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Bolide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bolide. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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