as in explodes
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 detonates
After the pass comes to Bridges, who detonates passersby at the basket regularly, White goes straight up, though with a little more oomph than usual.
—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Advertisement Christine Adams Courtesy of Apple TV Lang gets off the train and, once at a safe distance, detonates the explosive.
—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
But once in a rare while, the frame detonates into history.
—
Christopher Anderson,
Vanity Fair,
27 Feb. 2026
During a trip to New York, an off-camera exchange detonates the conflict.
—
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Gemma then detonates the device.
—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Determined to finish the job, Dante detonates explosives on the dam itself.
—
EW.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Toussaint is killed in the penultimate episode after Shagan detonates a bomb on Saskia’s computer.
—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Welcome to the Engineered Dreamscape Placemaking takes empty space and detonates it with story, spectacle and seduction.
—
Bob Bonniol,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Advertisement Christine Adams Courtesy of Apple TV Lang gets off the train and, once at a safe distance, detonates the explosive.
—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
But once in a rare while, the frame detonates into history.
—
Christopher Anderson,
Vanity Fair,
27 Feb. 2026
During a trip to New York, an off-camera exchange detonates the conflict.
—
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Gemma then detonates the device.
—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Determined to finish the job, Dante detonates explosives on the dam itself.
—
EW.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Toussaint is killed in the penultimate episode after Shagan detonates a bomb on Saskia’s computer.
—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Welcome to the Engineered Dreamscape Placemaking takes empty space and detonates it with story, spectacle and seduction.
—
Bob Bonniol,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonates
Verb
-
But a couple of pages later, his capsule encounters a meteoroid which explodes nearby.
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Most newcomers fade out or establish only a small population, but every so often a species explodes on the scene and becomes problematic.
Verb
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Cher’s court documents paint a bleak picture of how Allman, 49, allegedly blows through his $120,000 annual trust distributions.
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There’s no contest—the latter blows the concrete bird bath out of the water and attracts significantly more birds than its competitor.
Verb
-
Color quality is awesome, and contrast really pops.
-
Spielberg didn’t film those terrifying closeups of the shark – like when Jaws pops up as Brody is shoveling the bloody chump slick in the water — until Day 92.
Cite this Entry
“Detonates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonates. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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