explode
Americanverb (used without object)
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explodes,
present (3rd person singular)
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exploded,
past participle, past
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exploding
present participle
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to expand with force and noise because of rapid chemical change or decomposition, as gunpowder or nitroglycerine (opposed to implode).
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to burst, fly into pieces, or break up violently with a loud report, as a boiler from excessive pressure of steam.
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to burst forth violently or emotionally, especially with noise, laughter, violent speech, etc..
He exploded with rage when contradicted.
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Phonetics. (of plosives) to terminate the occlusive phase with a plosion.
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Golf. to play an explosion shot on a golf ball.
verb (used with object)
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explodes,
present (3rd person singular)
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exploded,
past participle, past
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exploding
present participle
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to cause (gunpowder, a boiler, etc.) to explode.
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to cause to be rejected; destroy the repute of; discredit or disprove.
to explode a theory.
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Phonetics. to end with plosion.
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Golf. to play an explosion shot on (a golf ball).
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Obsolete. to drive (a player, play, etc.) from the stage by loud expressions of disapprobation.
verb
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to burst or cause to burst with great violence as a result of internal pressure, esp through the detonation of an explosive; blow up
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to destroy or be destroyed in this manner
to explode a bridge
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(of a gas) to undergo or cause (a gas) to undergo a sudden violent expansion, accompanied by heat, light, a shock wave, and a loud noise, as a result of a fast uncontrolled exothermic chemical or nuclear reaction
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(intr) to react suddenly or violently with emotion, etc
to explode with anger
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(intr) (esp of a population) to increase rapidly
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(tr) to show (a theory, etc) to be baseless; refute and make obsolete
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(tr) phonetics to pronounce (a stop) with audible plosion
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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explodesimple
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explodessimple
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have explodedperfect
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has explodedperfect
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am explodingprogressive
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are explodingprogressive
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is explodingprogressive
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have been explodingperfect progressive
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has been explodingperfect progressive
Past
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explodedsimple
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had explodedperfect
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was explodingprogressive
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were explodingprogressive
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had been explodingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of explode
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin explōdere “to drive off by clapping, drive away,” from ex- ex- 1 + -plōdere, variant stem of plaudere “to clap” ( cf. applaud)
Explanation
Anything and anyone can explode — that is, produce a violent, sudden and usually very loud release of energy. Explode's two most common meanings refer to a physically destructive act, most commonly a bomb going off, or metaphorically, as in your parents' sudden fury when they see your end-of-year grades. Originally explode meant something quite different — to drive an unpleasing actor or group of performers from the stage by clapping and booing. (From the Latin words ex, meaning "out," and plaudere, "to clap one's hands.") Those ancient Greek and Roman crowds were tough.
Vocabulary lists containing explode
Brown Girl Dreaming
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"Raymond's Run"
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"Analysis of Baseball" and "Singing and Stretching"
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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.
See Examples For:
Despite its name, criticality does not mean that a reactor is about to explode.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
As costs to patients explode, so do social-media posts suggesting people think twice about paying high bills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
But while tech analysts on Wall Street expect cash flows to explode in 2028, that same optimism isn’t reflected by analysts covering other sectors.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
The alternative, buying media rights on a school-by-school basis, would explode operating costs for ESPN.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
My throat ached and my eyes felt like they might explode, but I just kept telling it, “NO! NO! NO!” and eventually I could feel it retreating, little by little.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
As Israeli forces arrive, the standoff explodes into action.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Video released by the US-based NGO Beneath The Waves shows one orca holding the tail of a sunfish, with its fellow whale then charging with full force into the rotund mola, which explodes into pieces.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Nonetheless, officials wanted to inject a neutralizing agent into that second tank, so that if the primary failing tank explodes, it doesn’t cause an even greater blast by igniting the second tank.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
In one scenario, a rapidly spinning massive star explodes and splits into two smaller neutron stars through a process called fission.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026
The ocean around us explodes, interrupting Autumn’s question.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
It exploded, setting off the fire alarm and causing damage to the front door and the hallway.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Still, they have exploded in number over the past couple years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
Since it went public five years ago, the company has exploded to more than $3.5 billion in annual sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
An investigation commissioned by Gov. Gavin Newsom found the Fire Department ignored multiple warnings that the Jan. 1 Lachman fire still was smoldering days before it exploded into the Palisades fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
But the problem with time bombs, I thought gloomily, was that eventually they exploded whether you ignored them or not.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
The rancor against rising healthcare bills is exploding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The so-called lock-in effect, where people hold on to ultralow-rate mortgages obtained during the pandemic, “is creating a supply floor which will keep inventory from exploding and will keep prices from dropping dramatically,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
As a result, clubs have expanded their scouting pool and been able to attract players from a wider variety of nationalities - with transfer fees exploding since the turn of the decade.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The University of Southampton-led team says it found a key problem in the way the earlier study estimated the ages of the exploding stars.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
Zara’s holding the black puppy with the tuft of white chest hair, her face exploding with a smile as big as the sun.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
