detonate

verb

det·​o·​nate ˈde-tᵊn-ˌāt 

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 

ˈde-tə-ˌnā-

adjective

detonative

ˈde-tᵊn-ˌā-tiv 

ˈde-tə-ˌnā-

adjective

Synonyms of detonate

• explode
• blow
• pop

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

The attack in Bannu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, erupted after a suicide bomber, backed by several gunmen, detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near the security post, triggering a shootout. —ABC News, 11 May 2026

The Trinity test, conducted as part of the Manhattan Project in the New Mexico desert, detonated a plutonium bomb that released the energy of 25 kilotons of TNT. —Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 11 May 2026

Robots were used to recover and detonate some of the remaining explosive devices, police said. —Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 3 May 2026

The posture changed dramatically in 1995 when Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb next to a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 167 people. —Neil Flanagan, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026

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

Rhymes for detonate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

detonate

verb

det·​o·​nate ˈdet-ᵊn-ˌāt 

ˈdet-ə-ˌnāt

detonated; detonating

: to explode or cause to explode with sudden violence

detonation

ˌdet-ᵊn-ˈā-shən, 

ˌdet-ə-ˈnā-

noun