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
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Recent Examples of detonation
Israeli forces detained the men following the detonation of an explosive device beneath an Israeli military armored vehicle, wounding two soldiers.
—
Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 12 Sep. 2025
However, building an actual weapon would require additional technology, such as a detonation device.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Following the detonations, black rains fell, sticky and radioactive—a type of nuclear fallout.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In frustration, the AEC turned to another Plowshare experiment, Project Gnome, a detonation in New Mexico expected to be fully contained underground.
—Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonation
Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 12 Sep. 2025
However, building an actual weapon would require additional technology, such as a detonation device.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Following the detonations, black rains fell, sticky and radioactive—a type of nuclear fallout.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In frustration, the AEC turned to another Plowshare experiment, Project Gnome, a detonation in New Mexico expected to be fully contained underground.
—Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonation
Noun
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Florida, meanwhile, had an offensive explosion with 457 yards on a night when quarterback DJ Lagway and receiver Dallas Wilson — making his college debut after a foot injury sidelined the freshman prior to Saturday — showed off the upside the Gators have been waiting for.—
Grace Raynor,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Attack largest of war on Lviv, Governor says A Reuters correspondent heard explosions booming across the dark morning sky as air defenses engaged targets from several directions.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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These spirals of solar wind can lead to large solar eruptions that can affect astronauts in orbit and key technological infrastructure on Earth.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
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The dazzling display is linked to two solar eruptions, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), that are now heading toward Earth.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detonation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonation. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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