firework

firework — noun

1. A small paper or cardboard tube filled with chemicals that burn or explode to pr

1.nounA2
Definition

A small paper or cardboard tube filled with chemicals that burn or explode to produce bright colours, flashing lights, or loud bangs, used mainly during celebrations.

Example

Sari and her family watched the fireworks explode over the harbour on New Year's Eve.

The teacher warned the children not to pick up used fireworks from the ground.

Common collocations
  • set off a firework / fireworks
  • light a firework
  • a firework display
  • a firework explodes
  • firework show
  • let off fireworks

Grammar Patterns

plural: fireworks

singular: a firework

Usage Note

Typically used in the plural form (fireworks) when referring to a public display or celebration. The singular (a firework) usually refers to one individual device.

Common Mistakes

We watched the firework from our balcony.
We watched the fireworks from our balcony.
Use the plural form when describing a display or celebration event.

2. Loud expressions of anger or strong disagreement between people, often in a publ

2.nounB2
Definition

Loud expressions of anger or strong disagreement between people, often in a public or formal setting.

Example

There were real fireworks at the board meeting when the CEO announced the job cuts.

figurative: there were fireworks at [event]

Jenna knew there would be fireworks when her parents found out about the broken vase.

Common collocations
  • real fireworks
  • there were fireworks
  • fireworks at [event]
  • end in fireworks
Synonyms
  • argument

    more neutral and general; fireworks suggests a more explosive, dramatic scene

  • quarrel

    more personal and less public than fireworks, which often describes a formal or group setting

  • showdown

    implies a final decisive confrontation, more deliberate than fireworks

Antonyms
  • calm

    the absence of conflict that fireworks describes

  • silence

    the opposite of loud shouting implied by fireworks

Grammar Patterns

there were fireworks at [event]

[event] ended in fireworks

Usage Note

Always used in the plural form. Common in informal contexts to describe arguments, heated debates, or emotional confrontations that feel sudden and explosive.

Common Mistakes

There was firework in the classroom after the exam results.
There were fireworks in the classroom after the exam results.
The figurative sense is always used in the plural form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A firework is the general term for any device that burns or explodes to produce coloured lights and noise for entertainment. A firecracker is a specific type of firework designed to make a loud bang, commonly used during Chinese New Year and other festivals. A sparkler is a handheld wire that gives off bright white or coloured sparks when lit, and is safe enough for children to hold under supervision. A flare is a different kind of device — it produces a very bright light for signalling or emergency use, not for celebration. For example: 'The show began with a string of loud firecrackers, followed by colourful fireworks that lit up the sky.'

firework ↗firecracker ↗sparklerflare ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

The word 'firework' is a compound of 'fire' (from Old English 'fȳr', meaning the active burning substance) and 'work' (from Old English 'weorc', meaning something made or created). Originally used in the 1500s to describe military explosive devices, it soon came to refer to the colourful celebratory displays we know today.