implosion

[ im-ploh-zhuhn ]

noun

1. the act of imploding; a bursting inward ( explosion ).
2. Phonetics.
   1. the occlusive phase of stop consonants.
   2. (of a stop consonant) the nasal release heard in the common pronunciation of eaten, sudden, or mitten, in which the vowel of the final syllable is greatly reduced.
   3. the ingressive release of a suction stop. Compare plosion.

implosion

/ ɪmˈpləʊʒən /

noun

1. the act or process of imploding

   the implosion of a light bulb

2. phonetics the suction or inhalation of breath employed in the pronunciation of an ingressive consonant

Word History and Origins

Origin of implosion¹

First recorded in 1875–80; im- ¹ + (ex)plosion

Example Sentences

After the implosion of the project, Harris relocated to a commercial apple orchard in upstate New York.

From The Daily Beast

And with Still-House it was the act of striking the match…the photographs of flames…the violent implosion of the oil barrels.

From The Daily Beast

The tsunami of value destruction would dwarf the Lehman Brothers implosion, says Daniel Gross.

From The Daily Beast

The last four years have witnessed an astonishing implosion of a previously unquestioned investment strategy.

From The Daily Beast

But these stories always end the same way, with the implosion of the would-be demagogue.

From The Daily Beast

In ten minutes, she had the slow-implosion capsule out of the hopper of a battered old Aldebaranese cargo ship.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bankruptcy
• breakdown
• collapse
• decline
• defeat
• deficiency
• deterioration
• failing
• loss
• misstep