as in to explode
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the bomb detonated with a thunder that could be heard for blocks in all directions
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Recent Examples of detonate
Proper told investigators that a group planned to stage a demonstration outside the White House, fly small drones laden with explosives to detonate outside the arena to force the crowd to evacuate, and act as snipers to shoot people fleeing the event.
—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
According to the complaint, the group allegedly planned to stage a demonstration on the north side of the White House while drones carrying explosive devices detonated over the event venue.
—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
At the end of March, the New York Times reported that these missiles had been detonated above civilian areas in the Iranian city of Lamerd in February.
—
Ari Sen,
Scientific American,
13 June 2026
There were two car bombs on Tuesday in Moscow — one that detonated in the morning in eastern Moscow and one that was identified by security services in southwestern Moscow.
—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
According to the complaint, the group allegedly planned to stage a demonstration on the north side of the White House while drones carrying explosive devices detonated over the event venue.
—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
At the end of March, the New York Times reported that these missiles had been detonated above civilian areas in the Iranian city of Lamerd in February.
—
Ari Sen,
Scientific American,
13 June 2026
There were two car bombs on Tuesday in Moscow — one that detonated in the morning in eastern Moscow and one that was identified by security services in southwestern Moscow.
—
Reuters,
NBC news,
10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonate
Verb
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Online sales boomed and Nekhala said his business exploded.
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Software engineers have arguably been the first class of workers to see the technology upend their jobs, as programming tools like Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex have exploded in popularity.
Verb
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The Philadelphia Phillies went into the top of the ninth inning down 8-6 to the Washington Nationals after Orion Kerkering gave up a three-run home run to blow the lead late in the game.
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While sitting on your porch or deck, a blast of air from a fan can help blow weak-flying mosquitoes away.
Verb
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The Guardians loaded the bases with two outs in the inning but Burke induced Brayan Rocchio to pop out.
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Informal Beyblade battles are popping up in strangest of places, with players huddling in parks, gyms and shopping malls.
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonate. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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