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
In one of the videos, investigators wrote, Phillips is seen holding a detonation device as another man counts down from five to one.
—
Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025
In this eastern district, two men were killed and another wounded on May 7 by the detonation of a Russian POM-2 mine laid during the occupation.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
And always in the background is our awareness of Mado’s homemade explosive, packed into a lunch pail, awaiting detonation.
—Alida Becker, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
This is very close to the Chandrasekhar limit, which is 1.44 solar masses, and is the point at which the thermonuclear detonation overcomes the white dwarf and blows it to smithereens as a Type Ia supernova.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonation
Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025
In this eastern district, two men were killed and another wounded on May 7 by the detonation of a Russian POM-2 mine laid during the occupation.
—Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
And always in the background is our awareness of Mado’s homemade explosive, packed into a lunch pail, awaiting detonation.
—Alida Becker, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
This is very close to the Chandrasekhar limit, which is 1.44 solar masses, and is the point at which the thermonuclear detonation overcomes the white dwarf and blows it to smithereens as a Type Ia supernova.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonation
Noun
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No one was injured in the explosion, which rained debris on the beaches of the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 June 2025
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Like Squid Game, Dead Set juxtaposes familiar cultural symbols and settings with grim, inevitable explosions of blood, straddling the line between twisted, compelling drama and a sobering reminder of violence lurking in our present society.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
Volcanic activity is documented since the 17th century, with most eruptions limited to the smaller Lewotobi Laki-laki.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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Intense enough to ionize Earth's upper atmosphere, the eruption caused a shortwave radio blackout centered over the Pacific Ocean.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detonation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonation. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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