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ex·plo·sive | \ ik-ˈsplō-siv 
, -ziv \
, -ziv \Definition of explosive
(Entry 1 of 2)
explosive
nounDefinition of explosive (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for explosive
Synonyms: Adjective
- acute,
- almighty,
- blistering,
- deep,
- dreadful,
- excruciating,
- exquisite,
- fearful,
- fearsome,
- ferocious,
- fierce,
- frightful,
- furious,
- ghastly,
- hard,
- heavy,
- heavy-duty,
- hellacious,
- intense,
- intensive,
- keen,
- profound,
- terrible,
- vehement,
- vicious,
- violent
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of explosive in a Sentence
Adjective
He has an explosive temper.
there's been an explosive interest in the sport since the Olympics
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective After receiving a tip about Smith's online activity, an undercover FBI agent received specific instructions on making an explosive device and a recipe for creating improvised napalm from Smith, the release said.
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Hollie Silverman, CNN, "A soldier in the US Army has pleaded guilty to distributing bomb making instructions," 11 Feb. 2020 And the defense will have to answer about giving up too many explosive plays to the Chiefs.
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Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, "San Francisco 49ers 2020 lookahead: Key decisions await in bid to rebound from Super Bowl heartbreak," 3 Feb. 2020 The explosive play proved to be the spark the Chiefs needed.
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Tyler Dragon, Cincinnati.com, "What we learned from Super Bowl LIV: Kansas City Chiefs win 31-20 over San Francisco 49ers," 3 Feb. 2020 In addition, its secondary was losing 50-50 balls and allowing explosive plays.
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cleveland, "The case for Browns coach Kevin Stefanski bringing Steve Wilks back; and the case for why Wilks could be let go -- Film review," 17 Jan. 2020 Military officials identified the two U.S. service members supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel who were killed Saturday after an improvised explosive device (IED) hit their vehicle in southern Afghanistan.
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Frank Miles, Fox News, "US soldiers killed in Afghanistan roadside bomb blast identified," 13 Jan. 2020 Blast kills 30 in Nigeria region where Boko Haram is active
An improvised explosive device blew up on a crowded bridge in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, killing at least 30 people, Reuters reported Monday.
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Harold Maass, TheWeek, "January 7, 2020," 7 Jan. 2020 Though Brown would prefer to shut out offenses and limit explosive plays, there's one stat that is more important than total yards — winning.
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Cameron Teague Robinson, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville defense working to put Kentucky performance behind it in Music City Bowl," 28 Dec. 2019 Opponents have 93 explosive plays (65 pass/28 rush).
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Ryan O’halloran, The Denver Post, "Broncos Briefs: Kareem Jackson’s suspension creates starting chance for Trey Marshall," 18 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun But Iranian ballistic missiles have a far longer range and carry a far bigger payload of explosives -- estimated to be at least half a ton each.
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Tamara Qiblawi, Arwa Damon And Brice Laine, CNN, "US troops sheltered in Saddam-era bunkers during Iran missile attack," 13 Jan. 2020 On October 23rd, a suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with twelve thousand pounds of explosives into the peacekeepers’ barracks.
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Robin Wright, The New Yorker, "Donald Trump’s Iran Problem," 12 Jan. 2020 Experts analysing early footage said that the rockets appeared to be precision-guided Fateh missiles, capable of carrying over 200kg of explosives.
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The Economist, "Avengers assemble Iran retaliates for the killing of Qassem Suleimani," 8 Jan. 2020 After a brief stint of the same work in Fort Louis, Washington, Joseph was called back to Iraq, this time to hunt the makers of explosives.
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Ethan Schmidt, azcentral, "Teaching certificate program helps veterans find way to head of the class," 13 Nov. 2019 Authorities say the Kreimeyer family had been experimenting with different types of explosives in hopes of recording a gender reveal ceremony that could be posted on social media for friends and family.
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chicagotribune.com, "Iowa woman killed in a pipe bomb explosion intended as a gender reveal," 26 Oct. 2019 This was taken to its most logical conclusion by some vehicles, like the red one above, designed to be packed full of explosives and driven toward enemy front lines.
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Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Why ISIS Built These Mad Max-Style Moving Fortresses," 15 Oct. 2019 The suspect in an attack on a German synagogue on Judaism's holiest day had around nearly nine pounds of explosives in his car and wanted to carry out a massacre, Germany's top prosecutor said.
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CBS News, "Gunman who tried to invade German synagogue planned "massacre," prosecutor says," 10 Oct. 2019 The truck was loaded with almost 5,000 pounds of explosives - a mixture of fertilizer, diesel fuel and other chemicals.
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Deb Kiner | Dkiner@pennlive.com, oregonlive, "‘Bombing in the Heartland’ in 1995 killed 168 people," 19 Apr. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'explosive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for explosive
explosive
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of explosive
(Entry 1 of 2)
: able to cause an explosion : used for exploding something
: relating to an explosion or caused by an explosion
: tending to get angry very easily
explosive
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of explosive (Entry 2 of 2)
: a substance (such as dynamite) that is used to cause an explosion : an explosive substance
See the full definition for explosive in the English Language Learners Dictionary
explosive
adjectiveex·plo·sive | \ ik-ˈsplō-siv , -ziv \
, -ziv \Kids Definition of explosive
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : able to cause explosion
the explosive power of gunpowder
2 : tending to show anger easily : likely to explode
an explosive temper
explosive
nounKids Definition of explosive (Entry 2 of 2)
: a substance that is used to cause an explosion
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Time Traveler for explosive
The first known use of explosive was in 1696
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