detonated 1 of 2

detonated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of detonate
as in popped
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detonated
Verb
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 In one of the recent demonstrations in the town of Lens on Monday, a 15-year-old had picked up a police dispersal grenade that detonated, losing his hand and part of his lower arm, officials said. — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 6 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 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 In December 2023, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the main gate of a police station in Dera Ismail Khan, killing at least 23 security personnel in one of the area’s deadliest attacks. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026 In July, the Wall Street Journal published an interview with Eui Seok Kang, who was severely disfigured when the airbag of his Chevrolet Malibu detonated after a crash. — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026 The backpack slid between a victim’s legs and detonated outside a courtroom. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Less than a decade earlier, his wife and then-3-year-old daughter were on the building's first floor when a truck bomb detonated in the underground garage. — Usa Today Staff, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonated
Adjective
  • Surgical repair entails opening the scrotum to expose the exploded testicle, stopping any bleeding, removing any dead tissue, tucking the testicle back into the scrotum and sewing the tunica albuginea back together.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • An exploded sunfish spread out in the water in thousands of pieces is certainly easier to share, offering another possible explanation for this practice.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 July 2026
Verb
  • The $11 million spread is listed with Wade Weathers and Meg Kauffman at LandVest Christie’s International Real Estate and has come to market shortly after Vermont’s most expensive home popped up for sale.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Kyle Tucker popped up to center, and Teoscar Hernandez struck out on a ball off the plate by about two and a half feet.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The symbol of an institution that for decades has prepared many of Ukraine’s top public finance officials and ministers sat bomb-blasted and unusable.
    — Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2026
  • With more than a dozen varieties grown in and around SoCal, in 2026 alone, heads (of cabbage) will roll if Angelenos can’t get their fix of this vitamin-rich, potassium-laden, calcium-blasted antioxidant VIP in 2026.
    — Rebecca Leib, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • On Saturday morning, temperatures in the fire area were in the mid-80s and winds blew at about 15 mph.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • There have been two times, and maybe three, since 2020 when Baylor should have won the game, but blew it.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • In one video from the scene, a French official, identified as Aulnoye-Aymeries mayor Bernard Baudoux, is sitting on the ground outside a vehicle with a smashed window.
    — Dana Karni, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Start your day with their Stuffed Biscuit that’s filled with spicy sausage and smashed potatoes or Cornmeal Pancakes with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Crunch Topping.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The damage left shattered glass and a large hole in the building.
    — Drew Aunkst, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • But detailed summaries of the punishments obtained by The New York Times provide the first look at how Cornell administrators apportioned blame for the alcohol and drug-fueled gathering that the woman has said left her shattered and degraded.
    — Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Detonated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonated. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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