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

Video footage that appeared to be taken at the scene captured loud blasts and the sky glowing following explosions that began around midnight and lasted about two hours in the area of Diori Hamani International Airport. —Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026

Using a telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, the team also detected and studied more than 1,500 supernova explosions of a type that can be used to track the expansion history of the Universe. —Nature Magazine, Scientific American, 31 Jan. 2026

The agency said a four-year-old girl was killed in the explosion and that 14 people had been injured. —Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026

Amid the heightened tensions, an explosion in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday sparked alarm. —Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026

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