detonate

[ det-n-eyt ]
See synonyms for detonate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),det·o·nat·ed, det·o·nat·ing.
  1. to explode with suddenness and violence.

verb (used with object),det·o·nat·ed, det·o·nat·ing.
  1. to cause (something explosive) to explode.

Origin of detonate

1
1720–30; <Latin dētonātus thundered forth (past participle of dētonāre), equivalent to dē-de- + ton(āre) to thunder + -ātus-ate1

Other words from detonate

  • det·o·na·ble [det-n-uh-buhl], /ˈdɛt n ə bəl/, det·o·nat·a·ble, adjective
  • det·o·na·bil·i·ty, det·o·nat·a·bil·i·ty, noun
  • non·det·o·nat·ing, adjective
  • un·det·o·nat·ed, adjective

Words Nearby detonate

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How to use detonate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for detonate

detonate

/ (ˈdɛtəˌneɪt) /


verb
  1. to cause (a bomb, mine, etc) to explode or (of a bomb, mine, etc) to explode; set off or be set off

Origin of detonate

1
C18: from Latin dētonāre to thunder down, from de- + tonāre to thunder

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012