explodes

verb

present tense third-person singular of explode
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

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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of explodes Most concerning for Talarico as Hispanic turnout explodes throughout the state are accounts that Latino men aren’t sold on his candidacy. — W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026 In other words, desire, in an unrepressed form, explodes the channels through which it is expected to flow. — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 In the video, shared by Nixon on Instagram, Benton, Baranski and others in full regalia (bustles, corsets, the whole nine yards) huddle around the iPad of John Douglas Thompson, who plays Peggy’s father, before the room explodes. — Alison Herman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2026 Simmons can sling it with the best of them — the ball explodes out of his hands. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026 Finally, extremely drunk, the young writer explodes in rage, then passes out. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 When the gang war that’s been building all along between the Greasers and the Socs finally explodes in the second act, the violence is conveyed through movement, lighting, sound and just all around scenic brilliance. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 Continue reading … ‘NEVER-ENDING’ — Huge number of noncitizens found on voter rolls as Mike Lee explodes on 'honor system'. — FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Control Resonant, the sequel, takes most of that game’s gorgeous visual language and explodes it all over an open-world New York City, to mesmerizing results. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explodes
  1. detonates
  2. shatters
  3. erupts
  4. pops
  5. smashes
  6. blows
  7. demolishes
  8. destroys
Verb
  • Forever Home FilmNation Entertainment, the Mediapro Studio A corpse beneath an idyllic home detonates this domestic thriller adapted from Graham Norton’s bestseller.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The missile, called a PrSM—for precision-strike missile—detonates midair and spreads thousands of small tungsten fragments in all directions.
    — Robin Wright, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of detonates
Verb
  • When a server migration wipes out Sally’s treasured videos of him — and her phone containing backup copies accidentally shatters — the only hope is finding the original tapes.
    — Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
  • With their daughter away at college, Abby and husband Gordy (Arquette) are settling into life as empty nesters when the arrival of a mysterious young woman (Shouse) shatters their sense of safety.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of shatters
Verb
  • Emergency declared at South Carolina nuclear site after fire erupts at lab.
    — , FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • When Hanne, a staff member of a struggling animal rescue, unexpectedly becomes executor of a wealthy hunting family’s estate, a bitter battle over the inheritance erupts.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of erupts
Verb
  • Kenan Thompson then pops up in a ghoulish Grim Reaper costume to guide the couple through a series of scary scenes.
    — William Earl, Variety, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Picket Fence pops up around town in places like Digress Wine in College Park and Tasty Takeover in the Milk District, but most of the time, fans pick up their goodies from Blake’s own backyard.
    — Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of pops
Verb
  • The episode’s action-movie finale drops the rest of the episode’s spoofy meta humor and aims at straight drama, as Butcherbird smashes through Katerina’s security detail and drops her disguise.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The company essentially smashes the cooler into a long, slim form low enough to slide under its Box beds while one or two people snore cozily away on top.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of smashes
Verb
  • While the 44-6 vote effectively blows a $75 million hole in the mayor's 2027 budget proposal, alders argued the funds were always intended to continue chipping away at the city's $36 billion pension debt, not to help balance next year's budget.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • That means that the part of the fan that blows air out needs to be on the exterior of your cube, and the back side of the fan that pulls in air needs to be on the inside of your cube.
    — John Alexander, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of blows
Verb
  • An $8,000 Ryvid Anthem or a $10,000 Maeving RM1S will deliver broadly similar urban usability, while the $12,500 Zero FXE absolutely demolishes it on power-per-dollar.
    — Utkarsh Sood June 12, New Atlas, 12 June 2026
  • The latest filing demolishes the timeworn claim that DOGE was infiltrated into Social Security in order to responsibly ferret out fraud and overspending.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Definition of demolishes
Verb
  • This overfeeding triggers a runaway nuclear explosion that usually destroys the white dwarf.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The more useful skill for leaders and investors is learning to distinguish between a problem that destroys value and one that can be solved in a way that creates it.
    — Michael Ligon, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroys

Browse Nearby Words

exploded
explodes
exploding
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Cite this Entry

“Explodes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explodes. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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