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
In Lebanon and parts of Syria, Israel detonated thousands of pagers of Hezbollah officials and bombed the group’s headquarters in southern Beirut, killing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
—
Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
The official added that local police detonated some of the components out of precaution as part of their ongoing investigation late Monday.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
The bomb that was thrown didn’t go off, causing nothing but smoke, but an investigation later revealed it was packed with explosive material as well as metal nuts and bolts inside that could have been deadly if detonated.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
Fortunately, neither explosive device at Gracie Mansion actually detonated, and no one was hurt.
—Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonate
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Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
The official added that local police detonated some of the components out of precaution as part of their ongoing investigation late Monday.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
The bomb that was thrown didn’t go off, causing nothing but smoke, but an investigation later revealed it was packed with explosive material as well as metal nuts and bolts inside that could have been deadly if detonated.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
Fortunately, neither explosive device at Gracie Mansion actually detonated, and no one was hurt.
—Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detonate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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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