detonator

noun

det·​o·​na·​tor ˈde-tᵊn-ˌā-tər 

-tə-ˌnā-

: a device or small quantity of explosive used for detonating a high explosive

Examples of detonator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At five miles down, the bomb’s fin radar system activated the detonator. —Literary Hub, 24 July 2025

President Biden revealed in remarks on Thursday that there was found to be a remote detonator in the truck of the deceased suspect, Jabbar, that seemingly was meant to set off those explosives, but again, they were not detonated. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025

Precision hand-work like soldering detonators, balancing rotors, and packing warheads remains hard to automate at scale without a bespoke factory line. —Harry Law, Time, 5 June 2025

Hidden in his black high-top sneakers were plastic explosives and a makeshift detonator. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 11 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for detonator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator

Kids Definition

detonator

noun

det·​o·​na·​tor ˈdet-ᵊn-ˌāt-ər 

-ə-ˌnāt-

: a device or small quantity of explosive used for detonating another explosive