Synonyms of detonate

detonate

verb

ˈde-tᵊn-ˌāt 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• explode
• blow
• pop
• burst
• blow up
• go off
• fragment
• shatter
• crump
• smash
• fire
• discharge
• shoot
• splinter
• balloon
• mushroom
• burgeon

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• implode
• collapse
• fizzle

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of detonate

An unexploded munition detonated during a school trip along Israel's northern border with Lebanon on Monday, killing a teenage boy and injuring 24 others, Israeli authorities and rescue workers said. — Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2026

Multiple explosions detonated close to a tanker south of Al-Mukha, Yemen, in the Bab el-Mandeb, the monitor said, adding that the crew were reported safe. — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026

Akhtar the author, though, is conducting a stealthy psyop aimed at detonating the certainties of combatants on both sides. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

She is widely remembered as the first Palestinian woman to carry out a suicide bombing, although accounts indicate that the device may have detonated unexpectedly. — Sara Harmouch, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026