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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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 Because the landing was so gentle, Ship 40 was able to slowly tip over and float in the ocean without exploding or sinking, as prior prototypes have done. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026 Meta calls the suit an unprecedented cash grab by prosecutors looking to burnish their populist credentials with a public eager to pin the blame for flagging test scores and exploding teen anguish on the wealthy tech titan. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 There was an exploding wheel a hundred and thirty-five feet in the air. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 The return of tanning, unregulated peptides, and now, exploding mousse? — James Manso, Allure, 17 Aug. 2026 Samsung 990 Pro 2TB Internal SSD Deal Storage Wars isn't just a TV show, but a description of how SSD prices have been exploding over the last year or so. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026 Flag football is exploding in popularity among girls in Minnesota. — Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 The very public display of exploding rockets from SpaceX over the last several years has raised more than a few eyebrows of people wondering about the repercussions of where that potential aerospace carnage might come crashing down. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026 In Brazil, where fighting crime is a top priority for citizens, facial-recognition technology is exploding, even though the legislature is still working on laying out clear rules. — Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploding
  1. detonating
  2. shattering
  3. erupting
  4. popping
  5. smashing
  6. blowing
  7. demolishing
  8. bursting
Verb
  • Bowie planned to put the bomb in a delivery bag and escape to Syria after detonating it, the complaint alleges.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Just weeks before her confrontation with Cunningham, Carrington sent shockwaves through the WNBA by publicly detonating her former relationship on social media.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of detonating
Verb
  • Meanwhile, epidemiologist Susan Mayne said the government has responded slowly to the record-shattering outbreak that started in May, which demonstrates how the nation's federal food safety programs are in disarray.
    — Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Majdi described his son’s birth in near-metaphysical terms, his own grief as shattering.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of shattering
Verb
  • That’s much better than analysts expected and would be the best since five years ago, when the economy was erupting out of the chasm created by the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Brian Osorio Zuluaga/Facebook The five men in the video slowly remove the baby then shout for a paramedic before erupting in a euphoric cheer.
    — Duarte Dias, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of erupting
Verb
  • The large, scary-looking Joro spider that can make massive webs is popping up again in multiple states, but researchers say the invasive species is essentially harmless to humans.
    — Nicole Brown Chau, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Soundstages have been popping up as well, from Taylor Sheridan’s SGS Studios in Fort Worth, the largest in the state, to The Chosen‘s film campus in Midlothian.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of popping
Verb
  • Other robots were not so successful, with some tripping, falling and smashing into pieces during competitions or even catching fire.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • This summer has seen record-smashing heatwaves across Europe, huge wildfires from Spain and France to Canada, which have released deadly pollutants into the air, and yet more extreme heat from Africa to Asia.
    — Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of smashing
Verb
  • Since then, more suits across the country have followed, blowing huge holes into NCAA eligibility rules, new and old.
    — Justin Williams, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Although skies are still smoky across portions of the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies, not much is blowing east of there.
    — Ben Noll, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of blowing
Verb
  • Trump has faced widespread criticism for demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make room for the grand ballroom design.
    — Callum Sutherland, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Despite being identified decades ago, the exact trigger of the joint-demolishing condition is still unclear.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
Definition of demolishing
Verb
  • The wealth of the richest Americans has torqued upward, bursting through the top of the graph, with no end in sight, completely untethered from the rest of the United States.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Murphy has built an empire by keeping a full-to-bursting pipeline of shows and returning to certain creative wells.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 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 26 Aug. 2026.

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