explosion

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noun ex·plo·sion \ ik-ˈsplō-zhən \

Definition of explosion

1 :the act or an instance of exploding

injured in a laboratory explosion

2 :a large-scale, rapid, or spectacular expansion or bursting out or forth

the explosion of suburbia

an explosion of red hair

3 :the release of occluded breath that occurs in one kind of articulation of stop consonants

See explosion defined for English-language learners

See explosion defined for kids

Examples of explosion in a Sentence

The filmmakers staged the car's explosion.
The island was rocked by a series of volcanic explosions.
The region has experienced a population explosion.
His comments prompted an explosion of laughter from the crowd.

Recent Examples of explosion from the Web

Canton was still recovering from a November natural gas explosion that killed one person and damaged more than 100 downtown businesses.

— lauren zumbach, chicagotribune.com, "In smaller towns, empty storefronts and economic challenges loom large," 30 Aug. 2017
An explosion there on the eve of the deadly Barcelona van attack derailed the suspects’ initial plans to bomb important city sites, according to court documents.

— aritz parra, The Seattle Times, "Spain suspects were in France before attacks," 23 Aug. 2017
Before an explosion in the 1980s diverted the Red Line to Vermont Avenue, it was supposed to traverse Fairfax.

— neal broverman, Los Angeles Magazine, "4 Neighborhoods That Need a Streetcar More Than DTLA," 19 July 2017
FILE -- In this May 31, 2017 file photo, an injured man is seen after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan.

— Washington Post, "UN reports rise in Afghan war deaths, blames insurgents," 17 July 2017
Instagram is basically an explosion of regrams right now.

— lindsay schallon, Glamour, "Beyoncé Just Shared the First Photo of Her Twins Rumi and Sir Carter," 14 July 2017
But imagine having to listen to even louder explosions once every ten seconds, for days or weeks on end.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "The Bipartisan Fight for Quieter Oceans," 5 July 2017
The explosion in low-cost, index-tracking E.T.F.s and soaring technology stocks is generating existential angst among portfolio managers working in traditional mutual fund companies.

— landon thomas jr., New York Times, "Tech Stocks Boom, but Some Stock Pickers Are Wary," 5 July 2017
Marietta's @_Azeez_8 with some excellent explosion at the snap.

— drew champlin, AL.com, "Auburn shows 'a lot of love' for 4-star Georgia defensive end," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'explosion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of explosion

Latin explosion-, explosio act of driving off by clapping, from explodere

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1681

See Words from the same year

explosion Synonyms

Synonyms

blast, blowup, burst, bursting, detonation, eruption, outburst

Antonyms

implosion

Related Words

discharge, firing, shooting; blowout, flare-up; bang, boom, pop; airburst, groundburst

EXPLOSION Defined for English Language Learners

explosion

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noun

Definition of explosion for English Language Learners

: the sudden, loud, and violent release of energy that happens when something (such as a bomb) breaks apart in a way that sends parts flying outward
: a sudden and very fast increase
: a sudden expression of some strong emotion