detonate

American  

[det-n-eyt] / ˈdɛt nˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

detonated, detonating

1. to explode with suddenness and violence.

---

verb (used with object)

detonated, detonating

1. to cause (something explosive) to explode.

detonate British  

/ ˈdɛtəˌneɪt /

verb

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

---

Other Word Forms

• detonability noun
• detonable adjective
• detonatability noun
• detonatable adjective
• nondetonating adjective
• undetonated adjective

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

Example Sentences

It added that video footage from before the attack showed "heavy smoke of unknown origin", which it cited as evidence of ammunition detonated by Ukrainian armed forces.

From BBC

Kennett and his team support the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis, which suggests that fragments of a comet detonated above Earth's surface.

From Science Daily

Several unexploded bombs dating back to past wars have been discovered in Serbia in recent years, all of which were safely removed without detonating.

From Barron's

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

In these events, an incoming object such as a comet detonates above the ground, releasing intense heat and shockwaves that reach Earth's surface.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• blast
• blow up
• burst
• explode