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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of explode
Space shuttle Challenger exploded into a gigantic fireball moments after liftoff today, apparently killing all seven crew members, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.
—
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Past reporting by The Bee showed Devestating had socked away fireworks at a warehouse in the Los Angeles suburb of Commerce and at a commercial self-storage facility in San Jose that exploded in 2023.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In 1949, when the Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb, the hands moved to 3 minutes to midnight.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 28 Jan. 2026
For decades the capital had worked like a slowly exploding atom bomb, inhaling poor Filipinos from the provinces and spitting them into distant suburbs, transforming rural barangays into slums of concrete and zinc.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explode
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Past reporting by The Bee showed Devestating had socked away fireworks at a warehouse in the Los Angeles suburb of Commerce and at a commercial self-storage facility in San Jose that exploded in 2023.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In 1949, when the Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb, the hands moved to 3 minutes to midnight.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 28 Jan. 2026
For decades the capital had worked like a slowly exploding atom bomb, inhaling poor Filipinos from the provinces and spitting them into distant suburbs, transforming rural barangays into slums of concrete and zinc.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explode
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explode
Verb
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Gemma then detonates the device.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
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On Unknown Pleasures, the producer had taken Joy Division’s dense goth-punk sound into a frozen field and detonated it.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The sequence of Enoch among the heavenly hosts, violent, shattering with Blakeian geometry and color.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Family describes unimaginable grief In a statement, Grace Brito's mother, Tracy Brito, described a family shattered by the loss of their daughter.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Los Angeles police arrested multiple violent agitators after issuing dispersal orders as protests erupted across the city Friday evening.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Two elderly women were killed in two fatal fires in Brooklyn and Queens that erupted within two hours, FDNY officials said Friday.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But aerospace engineers at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered a material that blows those two out of the water with nearly thrice the thermal conductivity.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
27 Jan. 2026
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The shuttle just suddenly blew apart.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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An agent pepper sprayed him, smashed his window and dragged him out of the car, according to his account.—
Jude Joffe-Block,
NPR,
31 Jan. 2026
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By smashing together heavy atoms of lead traveling at near-light speeds using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), scientists can create a high-energy environment that briefly frees gluons and quarks from this atomic bondage, recreating the quark-gluon plasma of the early universe.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sparkling Orange Nº1, a low-intervention, organic orange (orange colored due to skin contact, no oranges used) bubbly from Alsace that pops with orange peel and juicy peach, then drifts into jasmine, herbs, and gentle spice.—
Lanee Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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To understand what makes its eye-popping asking price fair, though, greater attention to the details must be paid.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The World Food Program said in an earlier statement that its warehouse was demolished by Somali authorities.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
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The building will be demolished to make way for an 86-unit affordable housing development, according to board documents.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By the time Aubry came back for season 38, her head was swirling from her time in the reality television bubble, and her psyche was ready to burst.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
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Still, my pick is Astropical by the power duo Bomba Estéreo and Rawayana — a cosmic-tropical oasis bursting with vibrant sonic textures that feel both exhilarating and otherworldly.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Explode.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explode. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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