detonator
Americannoun
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a device, as a percussion cap, used to make another substance explode.
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something that explodes.
noun
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a small amount of explosive, as in a percussion cap, used to initiate a larger explosion
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a device, such as an electrical generator, used to set off an explosion from a distance
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a substance or object that explodes or is capable of exploding
Etymology
Origin of detonator
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Hurley gets this flare gun, and he fires the flare gun into the air with a massive detonator as a tribute to the ship,” explains Dr John Shears who led the expedition that found Endurance.
From BBC • Oct. 9, 2024
For more common parts, like the plastics and metals and wiring inside each detonator, there are also questions about how the years spent in warheads might affect their integrity.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2023
But the wire ended nearby in the grass, unconnected to any detonator.
From New York Times • Apr. 10, 2023
There's no need, since their coupledom is simply a detonator for the bombs Hill and Barris designed to go off in their families.
From Salon • Feb. 2, 2023
His detonator was lifted and remained poised while Donovan watched and cursed and blinked the sweat out of his eye.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
