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
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
However, there’s a palpable atmosphere of tension amidst what’s happening with these detonations.
—Keir Simmons, NBC news, 3 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
At the climactic sally, six aerial bombs were dropped; none scored a direct hit, but their detonations damaged the hull so severely that the ship sank in 21 minutes.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has emphasized that ongoing tests will not include nuclear detonations but will validate new subsystems and ensure readiness.
—Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
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
However, there’s a palpable atmosphere of tension amidst what’s happening with these detonations.
—Keir Simmons, NBC news, 3 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
At the climactic sally, six aerial bombs were dropped; none scored a direct hit, but their detonations damaged the hull so severely that the ship sank in 21 minutes.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has emphasized that ongoing tests will not include nuclear detonations but will validate new subsystems and ensure readiness.
—Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonations
Noun
-
Thermal runaway is a self-sustaining chain reaction where a little bit of pressure or heat starts producing even more heat, leading to a rapid rise in temperature that can trigger deadly fires or explosions.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The violence followed explosions in Kabul that Afghan officials blamed on Pakistan.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Serpell observes that even Pecola thrills to eruptions of beauty on a familiar rundown street that otherwise go unseen.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Black carbon has increased in recent decades with more ship traffic in the Arctic, and nearby Iceland has periodic volcanic eruptions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detonations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonations. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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