as in to explode
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the bomb detonated with a thunder that could be heard for blocks in all directions
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Recent Examples of detonate
There are other photographs of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor taken in dark rooms with a flash detonating straight into his face.
—
Christopher Anderson, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
New Orleans center Karlo Matkovic tried to meet him at the rim, but was just a minor obstacle while Melton detonated at the rim with a powerful right-handed poster dunk reminiscent of his high-flyer days just a few years ago with the Memphis Grizzlies.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
During a trip to New York, an off-camera exchange detonates the conflict.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Built with a high-strength steel casing, it is engineered to withstand impacts from dense materials before detonating.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Christopher Anderson, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
New Orleans center Karlo Matkovic tried to meet him at the rim, but was just a minor obstacle while Melton detonated at the rim with a powerful right-handed poster dunk reminiscent of his high-flyer days just a few years ago with the Memphis Grizzlies.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
During a trip to New York, an off-camera exchange detonates the conflict.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Built with a high-strength steel casing, it is engineered to withstand impacts from dense materials before detonating.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonate
Verb
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In addition, the use of automatic license plate readers has exploded around the country in recent years, which allows law enforcement to tap into a vast network of cameras to search the movements of specific cars.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
4 Mar. 2026
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The cost to secure power supplies on PJM has exploded in recent years, with $23 billion attributable to data centers, according to watchdog Monitoring Analytics.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After blowing a three-run lead, Harvard-Westlake still came out on top with a 4-3 victory over Huntington Beach on Tuesday when Ethan Price delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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Since that point, the price of the precious metal has blown past $5,000, set several new all-time highs and handed investors more than 100% returns in a single year.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Peel yourself away from the island's precious beaches for a long, lazy afternoon spent enjoying sweeping views from this hillside spot and popping into breezy local haunts like Robert Righteous and de Youths, known for its colorful Caribbean decor.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
3 Mar. 2026
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Spinach seedlings pop up a little more quickly than carrots and help conserve soil moisture.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonate. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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