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 After Future and Metro Boomin unleashed the first of their two collaborative albums, WE DON’T TRUST YOU, social media lit up on Friday (Mar. 22), courtesy of an explosive verse detonated by an elusive Kendrick Lamar. Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 22 Mar. 2024 The most notorious case occurred in Perm, where a 64-year-old woman detonated a powerful firecracker, investigators said. Tanya Stukalova, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2024 Then last month, four more soldiers died and nine others were wounded when another explosive device detonated in the same region. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Footage from nearby security cameras, released to Local 10, captured a fiery mushroom cloud when the blast detonated. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 No supernova had been seen so close to our planet since Kepler’s Supernova in 1604, when a star detonated within our galaxy at a distance of about 20,000 light-years. Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024 The chain made national headlines in 2017, when a man detonated a homemade explosive device inside a Cheesecake Factory in Pasadena. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024 Amid growing concern about the problem, the U.S. government has increased its support to Mexican law enforcement and the military, donating bomb suits and detection equipment and training Mexican officials how to investigate crime scenes where explosives have detonated. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 But even if Moscow never detonates a nuclear weapon in space, its mere presence in orbit would be cause for concern. Aaron Bateman, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2024

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near detonate

Cite this Entry

“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detonate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

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