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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Photo taken after an explosion in downtown Tehran amid Israel's two-day campaign of strikes against Iran on June 15.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
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The explosion of betting options signals the next stage of growth for U.S. sports betting, shifting from wagers placed before a game to betting during a game.—
Brendan Coffey,
Sportico.com,
15 June 2025
Noun
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During Mount Etna’s recent eruption, however, the flow was contained within the region’s Lion Valley, per the AP.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 June 2025
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More recently, Mount Etna has been active in the past few months, with this eruption being the 14th episode since March 2025 after a 19-day lull.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detonation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonation. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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