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
What To Know India first tested its nuclear weapons in 1974, becoming the sixth country to detonate a nuclear weapon.
—
Nick Mordowanec
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Her goal is to plant Eva into the lives of the perfect couple like a bomb, set to detonate at their most vulnerable moment.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 30 Apr. 2025
In 2013, three people were killed and hundreds were wounded during the Boston Marathon bombings, when two men detonated homemade bombs at the race's finish line.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Most patients were recovering from injuries sustained before the ceasefire, but sometimes people would arrive after being injured when unexploded bombs had detonated, or damaged buildings had collapsed on them.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Nick Mordowanec
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Her goal is to plant Eva into the lives of the perfect couple like a bomb, set to detonate at their most vulnerable moment.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 30 Apr. 2025
In 2013, three people were killed and hundreds were wounded during the Boston Marathon bombings, when two men detonated homemade bombs at the race's finish line.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Most patients were recovering from injuries sustained before the ceasefire, but sometimes people would arrive after being injured when unexploded bombs had detonated, or damaged buildings had collapsed on them.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detonate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonate
Verb
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Russia on Sunday fired a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys targeting Ukraine's Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions, according to Ukraine’s air force.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2025
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American Reproductive Centers said Saturday in a post on Facebook that a vehicle had exploded in the parking lot near its Palm Springs facility earlier in the day.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
18 May 2025
Verb
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That’s just the beginning, though—keep scrolling for more deals sure to blow you away (no pun intended).—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
23 May 2025
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The weather can play a role too; rain can wash pollen from the air, while a windy day can blow it around, increasing your allergy symptoms.2 How Can You Prevent Allergy Symptoms?—
Kelly Burch Published,
Verywell Health,
23 May 2025
Verb
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Korn blew up in the late-Nineties heyday of MTV’s Total Request Live, where every day’s fan-vote countdown was a battle between the Britney/Backstreet Boys pop kids and the Korn/Limp Bizkit rock kids.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
17 May 2025
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Additional sinkholes have popped up in the time since December’s collapse.—
Jared Kofsky,
ABC News,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detonate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonate. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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