explosion

noun

ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən How to pronounce explosion (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of exploding
injured in a laboratory explosion
2
: a large-scale, rapid, or spectacular expansion or bursting out or forth
the explosion of suburbia
an explosion of red hair
3
: the release of occluded breath that occurs in one kind of articulation of stop consonants

Examples of explosion in a Sentence

The filmmakers staged the car's explosion. The island was rocked by a series of volcanic explosions. The region has experienced a population explosion. His comments prompted an explosion of laughter from the crowd.
Recent Examples on the Web Starship’s first two launches ended with fiery explosions. Emma Roth, The Verge, 24 May 2024 The explosion shattered hundreds of windows in nearby buildings, and furniture from the top-floor apartments shot out across the roofline. Steven Johnson, New York Times, 17 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for explosion 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'explosion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin explosion-, explosio act of driving off by clapping, from explodere

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of explosion was in 1681

Dictionary Entries Near explosion

Cite this Entry

“Explosion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explosion. Accessed 31 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

explosion

noun
ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən How to pronounce explosion (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of exploding
2
: a violent outburst of feeling

Medical Definition

explosion

noun
ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən How to pronounce explosion (audio)
: the act or an instance of exploding

More from Merriam-Webster on explosion

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