1
as in detonates
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure
the building was wrecked when a powerful bomb exploded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shatters
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 erupts
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 explodes
Mike, Hopper, and everyone else who loves her can only stand there and watch as the bomb goes off and the exotic matter explodes.
—
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
But if the geological plumbing is clogged, perhaps by silica minerals or rock debris, the pressure can build until the water explodes, vaporizing into steam and shooting boiling water, mud, rocks, and other debris into the air.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 23 Dec. 2025
Every February, the city explodes in color for the annual Street Painting Festival, one of the largest of its kind in the world.
—Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2025
When House frantically dials up the device, the man’s head explodes in a mess of gooey, gory innards.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Dec. 2025
The episode explodes when, from the kitchen side of the pass-through window, Cannon spots her work crush within kissing distance of the boss.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
His original, multi-toned voice explodes on the page.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Everything explodes on a summer day in 1980, when Candy strikes Betty 41 times with an axe following a confrontation.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
Mendonça Filho invites us to get comfortable in his hometown, our host the earthy and empathetic Marcelo, enjoying its rhythms and culture, before the film explodes in chaotic, confusing violence.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 4 Dec. 2025
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
But if the geological plumbing is clogged, perhaps by silica minerals or rock debris, the pressure can build until the water explodes, vaporizing into steam and shooting boiling water, mud, rocks, and other debris into the air.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 23 Dec. 2025
Every February, the city explodes in color for the annual Street Painting Festival, one of the largest of its kind in the world.
—Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2025
When House frantically dials up the device, the man’s head explodes in a mess of gooey, gory innards.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Dec. 2025
The episode explodes when, from the kitchen side of the pass-through window, Cannon spots her work crush within kissing distance of the boss.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
His original, multi-toned voice explodes on the page.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Everything explodes on a summer day in 1980, when Candy strikes Betty 41 times with an axe following a confrontation.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
Mendonça Filho invites us to get comfortable in his hometown, our host the earthy and empathetic Marcelo, enjoying its rhythms and culture, before the film explodes in chaotic, confusing violence.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explodes
Verb
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Brother Dusk detonates explosives that shatter the cryonic chamber of Cleon clones, bodies raining down in blood and glass, before plucking a single embryo from the wreckage to bait Demerzel’s deepest programming.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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Determined to finish the job, Dante detonates explosives on the dam itself.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Dousing enemies covered in mud with water shatters their defenses faster than basic attacks, while fire melts ice enemies without issue.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Nov. 2025
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The latest expression that shatters the 140-proof mark comes from Louisville blender Barrell Craft Spirits, and this is one blend of whiskeys finished in Caribbean rum barrels that should be on any whiskey masochist’s bottle list.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Gunfire erupts The federal agent standing to the front-left of the vehicle pulls out his gun.—
Chris Looft,
ABC News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
However, the birth of Viserys' son, Daemon (Matt Smith), erupts tensions that will ultimately cause the brutal war of succession known as the Dance of the Dragons.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pull the linguistic thread a little further, and the word pops up as a mark of frustration.—
L. Carol Ritchie,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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Not so in Canada, as the Blackhawks star pops up in commercials pretty frequently — including a CIBC ad with none other than Connor McDavid, which seems to be running on a loop north of the border.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But even when Carr smashes a model boat to smithereens after a professional rejection or Allura imagines herself going full Lemonade on Chase’s sidepiece, their actions feel divorced from any larger context.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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But even when Carr smashes a model boat to smithereens after a professional rejection or Allura imagines herself going full Lemonade on Chase’s sidepiece, their actions feel divorced from any larger context.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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On a recent morning in midtown Manhattan, Spike Lee blows on an imaginary pair of dice before hurling them to the ground.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
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Brunson fakes the swing to the right corner, blows past VJ Edgecombe, gets both feet into the paint, draws two defenders and finds OG Anunoby in the left corner.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If the city demolishes the building, the costs will be assessed to the property owner.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One such affliction is Tay-Sachs, a disease that disproportionately affects people of Ashkenazi descent and destroys brain and spinal nerve cells.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Nov. 2025
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The movie follows a similar arc, with an additional subplot in which the creature destroys the city while under the influence of a powerful demon.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explodes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explodes. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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