detonation

noun

det·​o·​na·​tion ˌde-tᵊn-ˈā-shən 

ˌde-tə-ˈnā-

1

: the action or process of detonating

2

: rapid combustion in an internal combustion engine that results in knocking

Synonyms

• blast
• blowup
• burst
• bursting
• eruption
• explosion
• outburst

Examples of detonation in a Sentence

there was a series of detonations around the base of the condemned building, causing it to come crashing down in a matter of minutes

Recent Examples on the Web

In the aftermath of the Berlin blockade and the creation of NATO, followed by the Soviets’ detonation of their first atomic weapon, readers—Americans, especially—might have been eager for an anti-Stalinist bedtime story. —Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2024

Higher octane ratings mean that the fuel resists detonation longer, and allows higher compression engines to produce more power while being more efficient. —Logan Carter / Jalopnik, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024

While serving in Afghanistan in 2009, the soldier, then 22, helped stop a school bombing by the Taliban after wires were spotted under a classroom door before detonation. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024

The scientists of the Manhattan Project and select military officials have gathered in the New Mexico desert for the Trinity test, the first trial detonation of a nuclear bomb. —Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024

Investigators are looking for a person of interest possibly tied to the detonation of an explosive device outside the office of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall over the weekend. —Louis Casiano, Fox News, 29 Feb. 2024

Military officials did not share many details from the February 24 detonation. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024

Sixty-seven American nuclear weapons tests occurred in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958, including Castle Bravo on Bikini Atoll, the largest-ever U.S. nuclear detonation. —Tara Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024

Surprising Fact Putin suggested a hand grenade detonation could have caused a plane carrying Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin—who led a brief rebellion against the Russian government—to crash last year. —Ty Roush, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1