deflagrate

[ def-luh-greyt ]

/ ˈdɛf ləˌgreɪt /

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verb (used with or without object), def·la·grat·ed, def·la·grat·ing.

to burn, especially suddenly and violently.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of deflagrate

1720–30; <Latin dēflagrātus (past participle of dēflagrāre to burn down), equivalent to dē-de- + flagr(āre) to burn + -ātus-ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM deflagrate

def·la·gra·ble, adjectivedef·la·gra·bil·i·ty, noundef·la·gra·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use deflagrate in a sentence

Gunpowder is exploded by deflagration, by means of a fuze, and exerts a comparatively slow and rending force.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 1|Various
It was during this period of deflagration and dry rot that the Eastern owners of the railroad lost heart.
The Taming of Red Butte Western|Francis Lynde
The case is the same when this Salt is alkalizated by deflagration.
Elements of the Theory and Practice of Chymistry, 5th ed.|Pierre Joseph Macquer
The story of the prints and their deflagration may be true, but it is very questionable if they were for royal use.
The History of Prostitution|William W. Sanger

The thin wires are stretched between the balls, and the lower one is in course of deflagration.
The Boy's Playbook of Science|John Henry Pepper

British Dictionary definitions for deflagrate

deflagrate

/ (ˈdɛfləˌɡreɪt, ˈdiː-) /

verb

to burn or cause to burn with great heat and light

Derived forms of deflagrate

deflagration, noun

Word Origin for deflagrate

C18: from Latin dēflagrāre, from de- + flagrāre to burn

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