as in to explode
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the bomb detonated with a thunder that could be heard for blocks in all directions
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Recent Examples of detonate
Trump has declared an all-out war on globalism, detonating every one of America's trading relationships — allies and adversaries alike — by imposing the largest tariffs in nearly a century.
—
Axios, 9 Apr. 2025
Then, the supernova explosion — one with more power than a thousand trillion trillion nuclear bombs — will detonate.
—Julian Dossett, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Warfare plots, in real time, a surveillance mission in Ramadi gone awry when nearby Al Qaeda insurgents detonate a series of IEDs outside a housing building which the team has taken over.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
Just before her head reached the Hot Topics table, Sara Haines reached over to help her colleague regain composure, while the Ghost actress enthusiastically hit her iconic bell to signal for further help in detonating the conversation before things moved on.
—EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Axios, 9 Apr. 2025
Then, the supernova explosion — one with more power than a thousand trillion trillion nuclear bombs — will detonate.
—Julian Dossett, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Warfare plots, in real time, a surveillance mission in Ramadi gone awry when nearby Al Qaeda insurgents detonate a series of IEDs outside a housing building which the team has taken over.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
Just before her head reached the Hot Topics table, Sara Haines reached over to help her colleague regain composure, while the Ghost actress enthusiastically hit her iconic bell to signal for further help in detonating the conversation before things moved on.
—EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonate
Verb
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World & Nation Measles cases exploded in Texas after stagnant vaccine funding.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Stateside, family moviegoing always explodes post-Christmas, and that’s when Mufasa began to show his claws against Sonic.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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However, the impending free agent had an 11.25 ERA, two losses and one blown save over 10 games entering Monday.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2025
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Vindman and his twin brother, Alex, both blew the whistle on Trump’s attempt to withhold military aid to Ukraine while pressuring the country’s leader to investigate the family of President Joe Biden.—
Andy Kroll,
ProPublica,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Since Combs' last pretrial court appearance on April 18, only a handful of entries have popped up in the New York federal case.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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Duolingo — Shares popped 4% following Morgan Stanley’s initiation at overweight.—
Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonate. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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