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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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 detonation The 30,000-pound bomb is comprised of steel, explosive and a fuse programmed to a specific detonation time. Staff and Wire Reports, Boston Herald, 26 June 2025 The detonations, sometimes multiple times a day for weeks in a row, clearly weren’t legal. Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 June 2025 Israeli achievements in technical intelligence, cyberattacks, pager detonations, precision killings, mass civilian carnage, and more, may point the way to methods that will be employed by all and sundry. Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025 Key finds will also include fragments, shrapnel and device components, to help reconstruct the method of detonation. Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for detonation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonation
Noun
  • The Yankees’ double-digit explosion on a rainy night provided plenty of breathing room for a bullpen that has been taxed and decimated by injuries.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 9 July 2025
  • These new requirements, including this relatively tight deadline, could trigger an explosion of litigation across the state as condo associations begin to reassess governing documents, assessment structures, and recorded declarations, Pardo said.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • On July 9, USGS said the most recent eruption had ended.
    Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 14 July 2025
  • It is believed that in most cases, the eruption completely destroys the white dwarf.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Detonation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonation. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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