as in explosion
the act or an instance of exploding
there was a series of detonations around the base of the condemned building, causing it to come crashing down in a matter of minutes
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Recent Examples of detonation
Thursday night’s detonation of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket during a static-fire test produced a spectacular fireball over Florida, sending shards of the rocket flying far and wide, into the sea and across the coastal scrubland nearby.
—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
Iran will complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left, which will not be many!).
—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
The fireworks find comes after a fire in a converted garage May 9 led to the detonation of pyrotechnics that reportedly blew a man’s body apart on the 2400 block of Ninth Avenue in the Jefferson Park area.
—
City News Service,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
On the planetary defense table are a wide variety of asteroid deflection methods, from gravity tractors, ion beams, kinetic and nuclear detonations and other concepts.
—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonation
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
Iran will complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left, which will not be many!).
—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
The fireworks find comes after a fire in a converted garage May 9 led to the detonation of pyrotechnics that reportedly blew a man’s body apart on the 2400 block of Ninth Avenue in the Jefferson Park area.
—
City News Service,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
On the planetary defense table are a wide variety of asteroid deflection methods, from gravity tractors, ion beams, kinetic and nuclear detonations and other concepts.
—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detonation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonation
Noun
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Moscow’s mayor said air defenses shot down nearly 200 drones, as videos circulating on social media showed explosions and smoke billowing across the Russian capital.
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The fire reached an ammonia line, triggering several small explosions and a dramatic image of flames shooting through the building roof as crews evacuated the area to avoid the fumes.
Noun
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The hotel staff can help direct you to info about eruptions, closures, and options for outdoor experiences.
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The video then shows an eruption of flames from what sources say were lithium batteries from an e-bike that was in the living room.
Cite this Entry
“Detonation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonation. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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