Synonyms of exploding

exploding

verb

present participle of explode

1

as in detonating

to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure

the building was wrecked when a powerful bomb exploded

Synonyms & Similar Words

• detonating
• popping
• blowing
• bursting
• crumping
• going off
• shattering
• blowing up
• smashing
• firing
• splintering
• fragmenting
• mushrooming
• burgeoning
• discharging
• shooting
• ballooning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• imploding
• collapsing
• fizzling

2

as in shattering

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

• shattering
• smashing
• demolishing
• bursting
• blowing
• destroying
• popping
• blasting
• detonating
• blowing up
• wrecking
• ruining
• decimating
• dynamiting
• annihilating
• splintering
• fragmenting
• discharging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collapsing
• imploding

3

as in erupting

to develop suddenly and violently

the mayor's latest unpopular decision caused long-suppressed resentment to explode into open anger

Synonyms & Similar Words

• erupting
• bursting (forth)
• breaking out
• blazing (up)
• flaming
• swelling
• skyrocketing
• flaring (up)
• mounting
• proliferating
• mushrooming
• detonating
• multiplying
• burgeoning
• rocketing
• snowballing
• ballooning
• waxing
• touching off
• blowing up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of exploding

Han’s Sang-mi is a similarly captivating presence onscreen, a bundle of nervous energy on the brink of exploding, captured brilliantly by one of Korea’s most consistently versatile emerging talents. — James Marsh, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026

Video circulating on social media showed a drone striking the bridge and exploding as vehicles crossed. — Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026

The song stays coiled, neither tightening its grip nor exploding into noise. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026

If civilian use of wireless technologies is exploding, military applications are also rising, and everything from drones to armored vehicles is now part of the larger set of attack units. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026

Viard watched firsthand as fashion ballooned into a global industry, designers becoming celebrities unto themselves and budgets exploding. — Olivier Bouchara, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026

And all while the rest of us pay the price for his outrageous tariffs, exploding debt, loss of 100,000 manufacturing jobs, soaring interest rates, gutting of our healthcare system, and runaway energy costs. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

Launched in 2004, the $364-million observatory is designed to pivot quickly — as its name suggests — to capture gamma ray bursts, exploding stars and other fast-breaking cosmic action. — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

The launch abort system ripped the Soyuz capsule free of its rocket with so much force, Titov and Strekalov were subjected to 20Gs (or 20 times the force of gravity) as the capsule streaked away from the exploding rocket. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026