detonate

verb

det·​o·​nate ˈde-tᵊn-ˌāt How to pronounce detonate (audio)
ˈde-tə-ˌnāt
detonated; detonating

intransitive verb

: to explode with sudden violence

transitive verb

1
: to cause to detonate
detonate a bomb
compare deflagrate
2
: to set off in a burst of activity : spark
programs that detonated controversies
detonatable
ˈde-tᵊn-ˌā-tə-bəl How to pronounce detonate (audio)
ˈde-tə-ˌnā-
adjective
detonative
ˈde-tᵊn-ˌā-tiv How to pronounce detonate (audio)
ˈde-tə-ˌnā-
adjective

Examples of detonate in a Sentence

The first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945. the bomb detonated with a thunder that could be heard for blocks in all directions
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Written by Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, the film follows an airliner threatened by a bomb that will detonate if the plane drops below 4,000 feet. Kayti Burt, Time, 23 Apr. 2025 Music seizes the reins and detonates the studied historicity viewers expect from stories about 20th-century music, pausing to highlight points the reader normally catches in articles about a movie rather than scenes in it: Yes, the blues begat both DOOM and doom. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025 Minutes later, the bombs inside the vehicle detonated, instantly crumbling the entire north side of the nine-story building and killing over 150 people. Alex Gurley, People.com, 19 Apr. 2025 McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran who planned the attack and detonated the bomb, intentionally triggered the blast two years to the day that the Waco siege ended with the deaths of 75 Branch Davidian members, seeing the act as part of a war against government oppression. Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for detonate

Word History

Etymology

French détoner to explode, from Latin detonare to expend thunder, from de- + tonare to thunder — more at thunder entry 1

First Known Use

1729, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of detonate was in 1729

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detonate. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

detonate

verb
det·​o·​nate ˈdet-ᵊn-ˌāt How to pronounce detonate (audio)
ˈdet-ə-ˌnāt
detonated; detonating
: to explode or cause to explode with sudden violence
detonation
ˌdet-ᵊn-ˈā-shən
ˌdet-ə-ˈnā-
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on detonate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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