detonate
verb
det·o·nate
ˈde-tᵊn-ˌāt 
ˈde-tə-ˌnāt
detonated; detonating
: to explode with sudden violence
1
: to cause to detonate
detonate a bomb
compare deflagrate
2
: to set off in a burst of activity : spark
programs that detonated controversies
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
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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detonate. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detonate
verb
det·o·nate
ˈdet-ᵊn-ˌāt
ˈdet-ə-ˌnāt
detonated; detonating
: to explode or cause to explode with sudden violence
detonation
noun
ˌdet-ᵊn-ˈā-shən
ˌdet-ə-ˈnā-
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