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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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 With player salaries and the salary cap exploding, however, Gauthier’s contract looks perfectly reasonable relative to the current market dynamics. — Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Far enough from the blast radius of champagne spritzes and exploding beers, the reliever, signed in late August, watched his new teammates let loose. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026 Scientists are uncovering clues that suggest cosmic rays come from extremely hot and faraway areas of the universe, ejected by exploding stars and powerful objects called supermassive black holes. — Jesse Liu, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026 As my colleague Nick Quah has written before, this classic often plays more like a sports fantasy; by the end of the series run, Echizen is returning serves through exploding concrete walls. — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026 The cost of living for middle class families for average Americans is exploding. — NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026 Smith took the ensuing kickoff to the house, exploding from the goal line before veering left and outrunning all of CU’s special teams to make it 7-6. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Sep. 2026 Octane measures how well fuel resists exploding prematurely under compression in a gasoline engine. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026 In late 2023, the exploding popularity of these drugs caused shares of medical device companies like Insulet to plummet, fueled by the narrative that GLP-1s would eliminate the need for insulin. — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploding
  1. detonating
  2. shattering
  3. erupting
  4. popping
  5. smashing
  6. blowing
  7. demolishing
  8. bursting
Verb
  • In a secret 1958 project, the Air Force considered detonating a nuclear bomb on the Moon.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • McGuire also admitted to detonating the bomb in retaliation for various alleged government wrongs, including sheriff’s deputies seizing his firearms earlier that year.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of detonating
Verb
  • Last week a number of concerned mathematicians, many of them at the top of their subject, launched the Association for Human Mathematics (AHM)—an effort that was underway even before the earth-shattering Navier-Stokes news.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Maya’s fear of commitment mirrors the film’s fear of showing us anything truly ugly or grappling with the idea that our heroine is one of many, many people who lost someone during a society-shattering number of years.
    — Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of shattering
Verb
  • The autumn palette here is incomparable, with maples, birches, oaks, and ash trees erupting in crimson, gold, and tawny tones.
    — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The volcano has been erupting for days, spewing lava and ash that shut airports, disrupted nearly 3,000 flights, forced schools online and kept nearby communities on heightened alert.
    — Niniek Karmini, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of erupting
Verb
  • Chicken Salad Chick, a fast-casual chicken salad franchise that’s been popping up around the Kansas City metro, is opening another location.
    — Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026
  • She's been modeling, she's been DJing, and she's been popping up at sporting events.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of popping
Verb
  • This would prevent cyclists from smashing into car doors opened into bike lanes, McDermott said.
    — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Boteli sealed his hat-trick at the Johan Cruyff Arena after charging down the right flank, chopping inside and smashing into the far corner on his left foot.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of smashing
Verb
  • Skies will be mostly sunny with east-northeast winds blowing at 10-15 mph and gusts as high as 25 mph.
    — Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
  • In response, Wayser and her husband and co-owner, Isaac Watters, chose to permanently limit operation to Wednesday through Friday to avoid blowing through the MEHKO sales limit.
    — Lauren Ng, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of blowing
Verb
  • One drone operator talks about going out for lunch or hanging out with their friends in Tel Aviv after demolishing people’s houses in Gaza from miles away.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
  • At Cordova Villa Elementary, construction includes demolishing the existing administration building and a classroom building.
    — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of demolishing
Verb
  • Morgan Stanley shrugged off the bubble-bursting concerns, with its Global Investment Committee reiterating a year-end S&P 500 target of 8,000 and a mid-2027 target of 8,300—bullish territory, not a bust.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026
  • For a child bursting with energy, few things are more fun than hurtling through a bouncy castle, launching into the air, and ping-ponging between every surface.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of bursting

Browse Nearby Words

explodes
exploding
exploit
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Cite this Entry

“Exploding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploding. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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