as in explosions
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 detonations
Only when more members and influential insiders demand better of one another as a matter of course, before things go sideways, will there be fewer political self-detonations and shattered lives.
—
Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Given the prospect of nuclear war, humanity’s arsenal could indeed wipe out every living human on Earth from detonations and the ensuing fallout.
—Big Think, 4 Mar. 2026
Remote detonations are also used to trigger slides intentionally and remove risky buildup before skiers are allowed on the slopes, said Chris Lundy, an avalanche specialist with the National Avalanche Center.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
His public address envisioned a future filled with waves of nuclear arms buildups and test detonations.
—New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Ukrainian officials said powerful explosions and secondary detonations were recorded at the site, while the extent of damage was still being assessed.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Others were instant detonations.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
However, calculations on the fallout from atmospheric detonations forced scientists to rethink this.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
Silva saw two fires on the runway that were quickly put out, and reported hearing similar detonations and planes flying low over Caracas for at least an hour.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 3 Jan. 2026
Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Given the prospect of nuclear war, humanity’s arsenal could indeed wipe out every living human on Earth from detonations and the ensuing fallout.
—Big Think, 4 Mar. 2026
Remote detonations are also used to trigger slides intentionally and remove risky buildup before skiers are allowed on the slopes, said Chris Lundy, an avalanche specialist with the National Avalanche Center.
—ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
His public address envisioned a future filled with waves of nuclear arms buildups and test detonations.
—New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Ukrainian officials said powerful explosions and secondary detonations were recorded at the site, while the extent of damage was still being assessed.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Others were instant detonations.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
However, calculations on the fallout from atmospheric detonations forced scientists to rethink this.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
Silva saw two fires on the runway that were quickly put out, and reported hearing similar detonations and planes flying low over Caracas for at least an hour.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 3 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonations
Noun
-
Use of inert bombs – or bombs with a small yield – could explain the lack of a large explosions or secondary blasts that an explosive warhead could cause, analysts said.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
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The first of these explosions was spotted in 2018, and only 14 have been detected since, leading to a solid mystery for astronomers.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Both agencies agree there is a chance for additional M flares and maybe even X-class eruptions over the coming days as sunspot regions AR4436 and AR4432 continue to evolve.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
11 May 2026
-
The search operation that involved more than 100 personnel supported by drones resumed early Saturday, focusing on a 700 square-meter (7,500 square-foot) area where clues were found during earlier searches, despite hazardous terrain and continuing eruptions, according to Ramdani.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detonations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonations. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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