dynamite

1 of 3

noun

dy·​na·​mite ˈdī-nə-ˌmīt How to pronounce dynamite (audio)
1
: an explosive that is made of nitroglycerin absorbed in a porous material and that often contains ammonium nitrate or cellulose nitrate
also : an explosive (such as a mixture of ammonium nitrate and nitrocellulose) that contains no nitroglycerin
2
: one that has a powerful effect
an actress who's dynamite at the box office
also : something that has great potential to cause trouble or conflict
an issue regarded as political dynamite
dynamitic adjective

dynamite

2 of 3

verb

dynamited; dynamiting

transitive verb

1
: to blow up with dynamite
2
: to cause the failure or destruction of
dynamiter noun

dynamite

3 of 3

adjective

: terrific, wonderful
a dynamite performance

Examples of dynamite in a Sentence

Noun The death penalty is political dynamite. Verb They plan to dynamite the old building. Adjective They put on a dynamite performance. a summer blockbuster that features some really dynamite special effects
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The decision to cull Brown's most powerful holiday songs into one dynamite album was a wise one. EW.com, 16 Nov. 2023 Annual prizes for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, peace and literature were established in the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, who died in 1896. Bloomberg, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2023 The bomb had 20 sticks of dynamite and a booster but luckily failed to detonate, possibly due to faulty wiring. Journal Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2024 Hooded gunmen carrying grenades and dynamite burst into a public TV station yesterday in Guayaquil, the country's economic capital, and forced employees to the floor during a live news broadcast. Harriet Marsden, theweek, 10 Jan. 2024 In the first 11 months of 2023, there were 346 shootings and over 140 hand grenade or dynamite explosions. Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Feb. 2024 Director Leigh Rondon-Davis gives the play a lively staging propelled considerably by the dynamite soundtrack in Alex Fakayode’s sound design. Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024 When the annual live music bonanza rolls around this March, the dynamite duo will also join the lineup of performers. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 24 Jan. 2024 The use of explosives such as dynamites by miners close to residential areas is also common and poses health hazards to residents, according to Anthony Adejuwon, who leads the Urban Alert group that advocates for mineral resources accountability. TIME, 17 Jan. 2024
Verb
The 5-5 point guard has been dynamite all season for the Warriors, averaging around 14 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals through her first 18 games. Brian Haenchen, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Jan. 2024 The gossip-curious hoping Sonic Love is a tell-all dishing how and why Moore could dynamite the Royal Couple of art rock will leave unfulfilled. Vulture, 20 Oct. 2023 In light of that, celebrity couples have seemed to turn inward, dynamiting and detonating their long-term partnerships. Raven Smith, Vogue, 9 Aug. 2023 New York ended up dynamiting spaces out of bedrock rather than impose the solution worked out by every multi-child family in history. Curbed, 13 Feb. 2023 Three years ago, his 20-year-old brother, while farming, was struck in the head during a rockfall caused by dynamiting, Mamoudou recounted. Rachel Chason and Chloe Sharrock, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Apr. 2023 Over a three-year period, the aqueduct was dynamited more than a dozen times. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2023 Catton’s big theme is plunder, and her millennial crusaders are as fervent in their protection of New Zealand’s resources as Lemoine is determined to dynamite and exploit them. Hillary Kelly, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2023 Our carefully curated list includes only the cream of the crop – the dynamite your romantic partner is dreaming of. Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022
Adjective
Survivor: Redemption Island The first three episodes were dynamite, but then the fuse blew out. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 22 Dec. 2023 And attackman McCabe Millon was dynamite when the ball was in his stick. Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 28 July 2023 And together, the coaches are dynamite. Billboard Staff, Billboard, 21 Sep. 2021 Life is dynamite, indeed. Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 17 Dec. 2020 Back in 2008, Tech had a swashbuckling coach with a fondness for all things pirates in Mike Leach and a dynamite pass-catch combination in Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree that collaborated on the winning touchdown. Dallas News, 24 Sep. 2022 The dynamite combination of clams and black pudding (blood sausage) married land and sea, the Christmas spices and iodine tang of the pudding and the briny sweetness of the clams knitted together with apple, onions, parsley, and a cider gastrique. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2023 For better or worse, that’s the kind of stuff that really drives culture in 2023 — though it should be said that none of this off-court interest would last (or likely even exist at the first place) without a dynamite pop song at the center of it. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 25 Jan. 2023 Grier shared Jimi Hendrix stories, Redd spilled tea about maybe kinda sorta being high for his Saturday Night Live audition, and Andy Cohen did a dynamite job of seeming like someone who’s cool with people being high on their live television show. Vulture, 4 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dynamite.' 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

Noun

Greek dýnamis "power, strength" + -ite entry 1 — more at dynamic entry 1

Note: Though the principal figure in the development of dynamite, Alfred nobel, was Swedish, the earliest patent for the substance (May, 1867) was filed in the United Kingdom, so the word was effectively first introduced in English rather than in Swedish or German.

Verb

derivative of dynamite entry 1

Adjective

from attributive use of dynamite entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1922, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dynamite was in 1867

Dictionary Entries Near dynamite

Cite this Entry

“Dynamite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynamite. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dynamite

1 of 2 noun
dy·​na·​mite ˈdī-nə-ˌmīt How to pronounce dynamite (audio)
: an explosive that is made chiefly of nitroglycerin absorbed in another substance
also : an explosive that contains no nitroglycerin

dynamite

2 of 2 verb
dynamited; dynamiting
: to blow up with dynamite
dynamiter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dynamite

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