detonate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
detonates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
detonated,
past participle, past
-
detonating
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
detonates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
detonated,
past participle, past
-
detonating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
detonabilitynoun
-
detonatabilitynoun
-
detonableadjective
-
detonatableadjective
-
nondetonatingadjective
-
undetonatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
detonatesimple
-
detonatessimple
-
have detonatedperfect
-
has detonatedperfect
-
am detonatingprogressive
-
are detonatingprogressive
-
is detonatingprogressive
-
have been detonatingperfect progressive
-
has been detonatingperfect progressive
Past
-
detonatedsimple
-
had detonatedperfect
-
was detonatingprogressive
-
were detonatingprogressive
-
had been detonatingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing detonate
A Separate Peace
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 4: Powerful Openings
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
All the Light We Cannot See
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Their explosive payloads did not detonate, and it’s entirely possible they were never meant to.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
"Pulling real users into generated photos without explicit consent is a privacy landmine waiting to detonate," one user wrote on X, external.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
An attempt to detonate or diffuse the bomb failed, so Officer Brian Murray and three others were lowered into the crater.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
According to the leaked file reviewed by The Times, the LAPD’s internal investigators found Hogg made a “gross underestimation” of the explosive weight of the fireworks that police intended to detonate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
“The Sixers must have bought it when it went up for auction a few years ago. And they’ve been sitting on it all this time, waiting for the perfect moment to detonate it.”
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
It detonates just as they get close, apparently shocking even Berezovska with its force.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
When a nuclear weapon detonates or a serious reactor accident occurs, an immense burst of energy is released in less than a millionth of a second.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
But every year, as wrapping paper detonates across the living room and a small mountain of objects emerges—some beloved, some baffling—I have the same unseasonal thought: This is wildly inefficient.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
No one detonates a room with honesty and irritation quite like Bill Burr, and his latest, “Drop Dead Years,” shows the comedian in his fully evolved form.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
Halftime Right after you glance at April waving from the bleachers, your stomach detonates: KABOOM! and you lose it right there behind the bench in Pernell’s gym bag.
From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander
When munitions are detonated underwater, the blast can spread contaminants through the surrounding environment.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
The defense ministry said no military weapons had been detonated.
From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026
The Apache was scanning the night sky for Iranian threats to commercial ships below shortly after 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday when the drone detonated directly in front of it, U.S. officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Instead, the round detonated prematurely at 453 meters, or about 1,486 feet, in the air, around 3,300 feet from its firing location, according to the report.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
“It was the only way they could stop us. We’d already opened the Third Gate and were about to step inside when they detonated that thing—” I paused, realizing something.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
"It depends on the area where the wreck and munitions lie. Currents and seabed morphology play a major role. In some cases, detonating them can do more harm than good," she explains.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
The drone, designed by Perennial Autonomy, a company backed by former Google CEO and billionaire Eric Schmidt using Ukrainian engineers, destroys other drones by detonating close by and has proven popular in Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
If your goal is to save money on taxes, detonating the tax torpedo is not ideal.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
VanSciver urged all residents to “leave the shows to the pros” and refrain from purchasing and detonating their own fireworks during the holiday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2025
I scan the area for the pods that will surely be detonating.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
