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
And rents, until recently, had jumped as demand for rentals explodes – because so few homes have been on the market.
—
David Goldman, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
After Paul causes a boating accident that kills a young woman, the family explodes.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
The post also included a video showing aerial footage of a fast-moving boat at sea that suddenly explodes.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Based on the book by Slow Horses scribe Mick Herron, in Down Cemetery Road, when a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbor Sarah Trafford (Wilson) becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Thompson).
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Eventually, that moment comes when the artist explodes.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 22 Sep. 2025
Momo watches from a distance, and the devastation leads her to crush a piece of Nanoskin in her hand, which briefly forms a heart before melting away as her home explodes behind her.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
This type usually forms when a massive star explodes at the ends of its short life and its core collapses.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2025
Not the kind that explodes into shouting matches, but the silent, slow-burning kind.
—Stephan Lendi, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
David Goldman, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
After Paul causes a boating accident that kills a young woman, the family explodes.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
The post also included a video showing aerial footage of a fast-moving boat at sea that suddenly explodes.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Based on the book by Slow Horses scribe Mick Herron, in Down Cemetery Road, when a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbor Sarah Trafford (Wilson) becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Thompson).
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Eventually, that moment comes when the artist explodes.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 22 Sep. 2025
Momo watches from a distance, and the devastation leads her to crush a piece of Nanoskin in her hand, which briefly forms a heart before melting away as her home explodes behind her.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
This type usually forms when a massive star explodes at the ends of its short life and its core collapses.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2025
Not the kind that explodes into shouting matches, but the silent, slow-burning kind.
—Stephan Lendi, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 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
-
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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These outbursts send radiation and charged particles hurling into space and can disrupt communications on Earth if the flare erupts from an Earth-facing sunspot.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The volcano is located on the eastern coast of Sicily and erupts almost continuously, according to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Pull the linguistic thread a little further, and the word pops up as a mark of frustration.—
L. Carol Ritchie,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
-
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
-
As Richard tries to kill Carrie, Sigrid shoots him in the shoulder and Lo smashes him in the face with a piece of boating equipment.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
-
As several women listen intently, Belushi, donning a toga, rips the guitar out of Bishop's hands and smashes it into a wall.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Whatever way the wind blows, that’s the way college sports go.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Dolphins beating themselves Mike McDaniel blows a gasket after Larry Borom commits a false start and the Dolphins miss the field goal.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
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
-
Each participant had lost central vision in one eye due to dry AMD, which destroys light-sensitive macular cells over time.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
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An arson fire destroys the 43-year-old Globe Theatre on March 8 (the arsonist was never caught, but a firebug had set several blazes in the park that winter).—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explodes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explodes. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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