Bolide vs. Fireball

Bolidenoun

An extremely bright meteor.

Bolidenoun

Any extraterrestrial body that collides with Earth.

Bolidenoun

A fireball.

Bolidenoun

A kind of meteor; a bolis.

Bolidenoun

an especially luminous meteor (sometimes exploding)

Bolide

A bolide is normally taken to mean an exceptionally bright meteor, but the term is subject to more than one definition, according to context. It may refer to any large crater-forming body, or to one that explodes in the atmosphere.

Fireballnoun

A ball of fire, especially one associated with an explosion.

Fireballnoun

(astronomy) A meteor bright enough to cast shadows.

Fireballnoun

(sailing) A class of sailing dinghy with a single trapeze and a symmetrical spinnaker, sailed by a crew of two.

Fireballnoun

(heraldry) A charge made of a disc-shaped bomb shell, with four sets of flames, at the top, bottom and on either side.

Fireballnoun

A ball filled with combustibles to be thrown among enemies.

Fireballverb

(intransitive) To explode in a ball of flame.

Fireballverb

(baseball) To pitch the ball very fast.

Fireballverb

To attack with balls of fire.

Fireballnoun

A ball filled with powder or other combustibles, intended to be thrown among enemies, and to injure by explosion; also, to set fire to their works and light them up, so that movements may be seen.

Fireballnoun

A rare phenomenon often associated with or caused by lightning, resembling a luminous ball of fire passing rapidly through the air or along solid objects, then disappearing, and sometimes exploding. It seldom lasts more than a few seconds. Also called ball lightning, globe lightning, globular lightning, or kugelblitz.

Fireballnoun

A large mass of fire caused by a large explosion, as of inflammable liquids or a nuclear device. The larger fireballs, as of nuclear explosions, rise seemingly intact into the air and may reach high altitudes while still glowing.

Fireballnoun

an especially luminous meteor (sometimes exploding)

Fireballnoun

a highly energetic and indefatigable person

Fireballnoun

a ball of fire (such as the sun or a ball-shaped discharge of lightning)

Fireballnoun

the luminous center of a nuclear explosion