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
Cole was taken into federal custody by agents investigating pipe bombs placed outside the Republican and Democratic National Committees, which did not detonate, on January 5, 2021—just one day before the violent protest of the 2020 presidential election results.
—
Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
The arrest is a massive breakthrough in the nearly five-year federal investigation into who placed the bombs, which did not detonate.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025
The explosives did not detonate.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Another disaster followed in 2020, when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate improperly stored at the Beirut port detonated in an explosion that blasted through the surrounding neighborhoods, killing 218 people, wounding thousands more and causing billions of dollars in damage.
—CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
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Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
The arrest is a massive breakthrough in the nearly five-year federal investigation into who placed the bombs, which did not detonate.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 4 Dec. 2025
The explosives did not detonate.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Another disaster followed in 2020, when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate improperly stored at the Beirut port detonated in an explosion that blasted through the surrounding neighborhoods, killing 218 people, wounding thousands more and causing billions of dollars in damage.
—CBS News, 30 Nov. 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 7 Dec. 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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