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
Russia will test a new laser system designed to take out mines without detonating the explosive devices, state media reported on Thursday.
—
Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
At that time, Dickson didn’t know that nuclear weapons were being detonated in the neighboring state of Nevada as the US tested its new stockpile.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025
Determined to finish the job, Dante detonates explosives on the dam itself.
—EW.com, 24 Aug. 2025
When in range, the fire command was given and the Claymore detonated.
—New Atlas, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
At that time, Dickson didn’t know that nuclear weapons were being detonated in the neighboring state of Nevada as the US tested its new stockpile.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025
Determined to finish the job, Dante detonates explosives on the dam itself.
—EW.com, 24 Aug. 2025
When in range, the fire command was given and the Claymore detonated.
—New Atlas, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonate
Verb
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Microwave ovens, which came along much later, enjoyed more widespread ownership and usage, both above 90%, in spite of urban legends about how microwaves will explode your pets and lower sperm counts.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Previous estimates have suggested that the largest possible black holes would take longer than the hypothesized lifetime of the universe to explode.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As health restrictions discouraged people from blowing directly into instruments, Gajewski and Brown reimagined the design.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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Soldiers have also been spotted in parks carrying out tasks typically assigned to gardeners and landscapers – shoveling mulch, blowing leaves and scooping up trash.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The loud, colorful Northern Thai restaurant has always been a celeb magnet—Guillermo del Toro, Shawn Mendes, Jacob Elordi, James Harden and Simu Liu have all popped by in recent years.—
Kate Dingwall,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Shares of Oracle surged 26% in Tuesday’s extended trading hours, after the tech old guard reported that multicloud database revenue from Amazon, Google and Microsoft grew at the eye-popping rate of 1,529% in its last quarter, fueled by demand for AI servers.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonate. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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