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detonate

[ det-n-eyt ]
/ ˈdɛt nˌeɪt /
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verb (used without object), det·o·nat·ed, det·o·nat·ing.
to explode with suddenness and violence.
verb (used with object), det·o·nat·ed, det·o·nat·ing.
to cause (something explosive) to explode.
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Origin of detonate

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, adjectivedet·o·na·bil·i·ty, det·o·nat·a·bil·i·ty, nounnon·det·o·nat·ing, adjectiveun·det·o·nat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use detonate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for detonate

detonate
/ (ˈdɛtəˌneɪt) /

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

Word Origin for detonate

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
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