dynamite
Americannoun
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a high explosive, originally consisting of nitroglycerin mixed with an absorbent substance, now with ammonium nitrate usually replacing the nitroglycerin.
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any person or thing having a spectacular effect.
verb (used with object)
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to blow up, shatter, or destroy with dynamite.
Saboteurs dynamited the dam.
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to mine or charge with dynamite.
adjective
noun
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an explosive consisting of nitroglycerine or ammonium nitrate mixed with kieselguhr, sawdust, or wood pulp
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informal a spectacular or potentially dangerous person or thing
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dynamitesimple
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dynamitessimple
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have dynamitedperfect
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has dynamitedperfect
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am dynamitingprogressive
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are dynamitingprogressive
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is dynamitingprogressive
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have been dynamitingperfect progressive
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has been dynamitingperfect progressive
Past
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dynamitedsimple
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had dynamitedperfect
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was dynamitingprogressive
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were dynamitingprogressive
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had been dynamitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dynamite
From Swedish dynamit, introduced by Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( def. ), its inventor in 1867; see dynam-, -ite 1
Explanation
Dynamite is a material that explodes when it's detonated. Dynamite has long been used in mining, for blasting open layers of rock. Dynamite is not the kind of thing you buy at the corner hardware store. Dynamite was invented in 1867 by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor, chemist, and engineer. Builders and miners were happy about the new explosive, since dynamite was stronger and safer than those that came before it. Nobel named his invention dynamit, a Swedish version of the Greek dynamis, "power." The earliest figurative meaning was "dangerous," but in the 1960s it came to also mean "excellent" or "impressive."
Vocabulary lists containing dynamite
Civil Engineering
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Engineering - Middle School
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 3–September 9, 2022
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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.
Dixon says she thinks she knows why garage had such a special place in their hearts - as well as for other British acts like So Solid Crew and Ms. Dynamite.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
On Holding is their favorite specialty retailer, and Garage owner Groupe Dynamite is their small-cap pick.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
By the time they released their fully English singles - the catchy, bubblegum-esque Dynamite and Butter - they were ready to bet on the bright, disco-inflected departure from their hip-hop roots.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
Formed in 2010, BTS were among the first K-pop groups to achieve global superstardom, topping the US Billboard 200 with hits like "Dynamite" and "Butter".
From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026
Dynamite Bob Chambliss died in prison eight years later, on October 28, 198$.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
