as in exploding
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 detonating
Investigators found that Aliji intended to drive a Volkswagen Beetle equipped with fake police sirens and flashing blue lights toward crowds outside the venue before detonating explosives concealed inside a Red Bull can.
—
Bryan West, USA Today, 28 May 2026
Its material originated during October 1977 sessions at Memphis’ Ardent Studios, where the original lineup — the late Lux Interior, Poison Ivy, Bryan Gregory and Nick Knox — worked with Chilton shortly before detonating the underground rock landscape.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 27 May 2026
While the $25,000 charge is a monthly fee for the satellite connection provided to a satellite terminal, the terminals are being used with drones that only make one-way trips before hitting targets and detonating on impact.
—ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
One culminated last year with abject disaster, with Karl Lysinger detonating his Oak Park house and dying in the process, months after the home was auctioned.
—Graham Womack
may 18, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
Cody Brundage's 44-second R2 knockout over Andre Petroski was the fastest of the night, and Khaos Williams returned to form by detonating a right hand on Nikolay Veretennikov for a vintage first-round TKO.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Two Massachusetts men have pleaded guilty to breaking into Harvard Medical School and detonating fireworks last Halloween night, a crime that caught the eye of FBI Director Kash Patel.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
And some advanced mines have counters that will let a certain number of ships pass before detonating.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026
The 40-year-old from Alabama responded emphatically, detonating the fabled right hand several times and eventually pummeling Chisora to the ground.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Bryan West, USA Today, 28 May 2026
Its material originated during October 1977 sessions at Memphis’ Ardent Studios, where the original lineup — the late Lux Interior, Poison Ivy, Bryan Gregory and Nick Knox — worked with Chilton shortly before detonating the underground rock landscape.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 27 May 2026
While the $25,000 charge is a monthly fee for the satellite connection provided to a satellite terminal, the terminals are being used with drones that only make one-way trips before hitting targets and detonating on impact.
—ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
One culminated last year with abject disaster, with Karl Lysinger detonating his Oak Park house and dying in the process, months after the home was auctioned.
—Graham Womack
may 18, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
Cody Brundage's 44-second R2 knockout over Andre Petroski was the fastest of the night, and Khaos Williams returned to form by detonating a right hand on Nikolay Veretennikov for a vintage first-round TKO.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Two Massachusetts men have pleaded guilty to breaking into Harvard Medical School and detonating fireworks last Halloween night, a crime that caught the eye of FBI Director Kash Patel.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
And some advanced mines have counters that will let a certain number of ships pass before detonating.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026
The 40-year-old from Alabama responded emphatically, detonating the fabled right hand several times and eventually pummeling Chisora to the ground.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonating
Verb
-
Atlanta trailed 25-13 after one quarter before exploding for 34 points in the second, the team's highest-scoring second quarter of the season, to flip the game entirely.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
In a recent blog post, Asha Sharma laid out many issues ranging from tiny division margins to exploding component costs, all balanced with its biggest gamer complaint, a lack of big Xbox first-party games, and namely big first-party games that are Xbox exclusives.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Instead, he was left with his tail between his legs and claimed that the Spurs actually dominated the series despite blowing leads in all four of their losses.—
Ryan Gaydos OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Workers in the early morning of June 13 took down the president's signage after blowing past a June 12 deadline to comply with a judge's order.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Verb
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The 21-year-old slugger has hit four homers in 28 games and 109 plate appearances this year, popping one in each of his last two games.—
Josh Shepardson,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
My colleague Christopher Reynolds reported that, as of May, northbound traffic at Ragged Point, the southern gateway to Big Sur, has risen an eye-popping 900% year-over-year, and local businesses are experiencing their busiest summer in years.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detonating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonating. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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