explosion

noun

ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən 

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

Synonyms of explosion

• eruption
• detonation

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 on the Web

What To Know What Happened On November 4, UPS Flight 2976 crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville when its left engine and pylon detached from the wing, triggering a massive fire and explosion that killed 14 people and injured 23 others. —Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025

Onlookers gathered to watch the explosion. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025

Die Hard is a loud movie, booming with machine gun fire and explosions. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Dec. 2025

Video of the incident captured the fiery explosion as the plane plummeted into a dry lakebed. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing explosion

• population explosion

Rhymes for explosion

• corrosion
• erosion
• implosion

Kids Definition

explosion

noun

ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən 

1

: the act or an instance of exploding

2

: a violent outburst of feeling

Medical Definition

explosion

noun

ex·​plo·​sion ik-ˈsplō-zhən 

: the act or an instance of exploding