EXPLODING Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

exploding

verb

present participle of explode

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 exploding Instead, the forward now picks his moments, strolling around the pitch to find space and then exploding into action. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 15 July 2026 In late May, about 50,000 people in Orange County were evacuated because, at a Garden Grove site operated by GKN Aerospace, tanks holding a volatile hazardous chemical called methyl methacrylate were at risk of exploding or leaking toxics. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026 The upper stage, sometimes referred to simply as 'Ship, then used its own six Raptor engines to fly halfway around the world before landing and exploding as expected in the Indian Ocean. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 15 July 2026 Decades later, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman popularized the puzzle after his own attempt to solve it, which famously ended with a glass carboy exploding under high pressure. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026 Pollutants from data center construction and operations are part of the mounting anxieties Americans have around the exploding growth of AI infrastructure around the country. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 13 July 2026 Blue Origin is racing against the clock to undo the damage caused by its New Glenn rocket exploding in May. — Chris Young july 12, New Atlas, 13 July 2026 While Schitt’s Creek was completely overlooked by Emmy voters for its first four seasons, landing its first four nominations in 2019 for Season 5 before exploding with 15 noms the following year, Hacks has been an Emmy darling from the start. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 8 July 2026 The title poem takes the reader into the crosshairs of war’s violence, exploding euphemistic descriptions of its horrors. — Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 7 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploding

Verb

To put it simply—detonating nuclear weapons in space can be as disastrous as detonating them on Earth.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 8 July 2026
Many older interceptor missiles use blast-fragmentation warheads, detonating near the incoming missile and destroying it with high-speed metal fragments.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026

Definition of detonating

Verb

SoCal’s housing market growth SpaceX’s record-shattering IPO has unleashed a wave of high-end home shoppers poised to reshape Southern California’s already tight coastal housing markets.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
At the very least, the attacks have brought the war home even more poignantly for millions of Russians, shattering Putin’s narrative of the conflict as something that doesn’t affect the lives of ordinary people in his country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026

Definition of shattering

Verb

Lettuce and salad greens have become the prime suspects in an explosive outbreak of the diarrheal parasite Cyclospora, which is surging nationwide but erupting to extraordinary heights in Michigan.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026
Yet, despite the fact that supernovas have been erupting every second over the course of 13 billion years or so to produce the neutrinos that accumulate as the DSNB, this ghostly signal is still faint, a whisper rather than a shout.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of erupting

Verb

But, experts say, the projects popping up in Miami-Dade are unlike those that grab headlines for fouling drinking water and driving up power bills — for now.

— Alexandra Phelps, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
But even in a regular photograph, Horálek was able to show the incredible beauty of the glow of the Milky Way's heart above the mountain range, with every color in the rainbow popping up in the gas and dust across our galaxy.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 16 July 2026

Definition of popping

Verb

Stacking layers like a gourmet burger is the secret behind smashing efficiency and stability records.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026
Djokovic became so frustrated that he was given a code violation warning for smashing a racket, before eventually hauling himself over the line.

— Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of smashing

Verb

Beyond the environmental costs, demolishing and hauling away the remnants of huge buildings is especially expensive in dense cities such as New York.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026
This project, which is under review by the city, proposes demolishing the long-defunct Kmart building and bringing residences, shops and a new Publix to the plaza.

— Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2026

Definition of demolishing

Verb

After bursting onto the first-team scene under Jurgen Klopp in 2022-23, his career has stalled repeatedly because of injuries.

— Andy Jones, New York Times, 14 July 2026
Most economists now seem to agree that the immediate threat of a recession has passed, but that does not mean there is not concern about inflation, geopolitical tensions or a bursting AI bubble knocking the economy off track.

— Scott Cohn, CNBC, 13 July 2026

Definition of bursting

Browse Nearby Words

explodes

exploding

exploit

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Exploding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploding. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of exploding

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on exploding

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

obdurate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes