detonate

American  

[det-n-eyt] / ˈdɛt nˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

detonated, detonating

1. to explode with suddenness and violence.

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verb (used with object)

detonated, detonating

1. to cause (something explosive) to explode.

detonate British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• detonability
  noun
• detonable
  adjective
• detonatability
  noun
• detonatable
  adjective
• nondetonating
  adjective
• undetonated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of detonate

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

Explanation

Boom! To detonate is to explode or cause something to explode. If a bad guy lights the fuse of a stick of dynamite, run before it detonates! In war, there is a lot of detonating, which is when something violently explodes, like bombs or grenades. When someone steps on a landmine, it detonates. The detonating of nuclear bombs devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. Also, to detonate is to set off a bomb. Pushing a button, flicking a switch, or lighting a fuse could detonate a bomb. Either way, to detonate is to blow up.

Example Sentences

Detonate, det′o-nāt, v.i. to explode.—v.t. to cause to explode.—ns.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Related Words

• blast
• blow up
• burst
• explode