1
as in to detonate
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the building was wrecked when a powerful bomb exploded
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2
as in to shatter
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
the bomb was so powerful that it exploded windows in several neighboring buildings
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3
as in to erupt
to develop suddenly and violently
the mayor's latest unpopular decision caused long-suppressed resentment to explode into open anger
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Recent Examples of explode
The most likely scenario is a Type Ia supernova, which occurs in binary star systems in which a white dwarf consumes enough mass of its companion star to explode violently.
—
Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 29 May 2025
Around him, sighs of relief could be heard as SpaceX employees began to ascertain that the day’s flight would not be a repeat of the previous two, each of which had resulted in the vehicle exploding over the Atlantic Ocean less than 10 minutes after launch.
—Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 28 May 2025
Sergio Flores | Afp | Getty Images SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket exploded during a test flight on Tuesday, the third consecutive setback for Elon Musk’s company.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 28 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for explode
Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 29 May 2025
Around him, sighs of relief could be heard as SpaceX employees began to ascertain that the day’s flight would not be a repeat of the previous two, each of which had resulted in the vehicle exploding over the Atlantic Ocean less than 10 minutes after launch.
—Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 28 May 2025
Sergio Flores | Afp | Getty Images SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket exploded during a test flight on Tuesday, the third consecutive setback for Elon Musk’s company.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 28 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for explode
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explode
Verb
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At the same moment, Paul presses the button on a remote and detonates a bomb in O’Hara’s office, killing his men there.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
1 June 2025
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An attacker opened fire on the Israeli Consulate in Munich in September, and two months later grenades were detonated near the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen.—
Michael D. Shear,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Whatever credibility the report might have had as a product of a federal agency was shattered by its obvious errors, misrepresentations and outright fabrications of source materials, some of it plainly the product of the authors’ reliance on AI bots.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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In 1985, Michael Jordan shattered a backboard during a dunk in a summer exhibition game against the Italian team Stefanel Trieste.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
2 June 2025
Verb
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Violent riots erupted across the U.K. after the attack, in which mosques and migrant accommodation were largely targeted.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
27 May 2025
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Kirst, who did not notch a goal or an assist in the team’s 11-9 win against No. 5 seed Penn State on Saturday, erupted for game highs in both goals (six) and points (seven).—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
26 May 2025
Verb
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The stock popped more than 4.5% on Thursday, and Nvidia, with a $3.4 trillion market cap, is the most valuable company in the world — just ahead of Microsoft (MSFT) and now well ahead of Apple (AAPL).—
Shannon Carroll,
Quartz,
29 May 2025
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Nvidia shares popped more than 6% in the premarket following the release.—
Sean Conlon,
CNBC,
29 May 2025
Verb
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He’s often found smashing things in the name of justice but can still be angered easily if things don’t go his way.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
30 May 2025
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That served as a prelude to Tim Anderson smashing his own two-run shot off Zack Britton in the bottom of the inning to send the White Sox home winners.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Failing to install the tax would blow an additional $80 million hole in Chicago’s 2026 budget as the city already faces a budget gap of around $1 billion, Budget Director Annette Guzman said.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
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Wind blows the dust into the atmosphere and begins moving it westward over the Atlantic Ocean.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2025
Verb
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In 2012, Texas Wesleyan went to the city’s historic and cultural landmarks commission seeking permission to demolish the home for further campus expansion, but were denied.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2025
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Goldschmidt has demolished the NL Central in his career, with a slash line of .291/.388/.527 in almost 550 games played.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Broadcast integrations included Stitch bursting onto the sets of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and SportsCenter.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
25 May 2025
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The appendix can burst within 24 hours or less of symptoms starting.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explode.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explode. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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