detonate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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detonabilitynoun
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detonatabilitynoun
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detonableadjective
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detonatableadjective
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nondetonatingadjective
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undetonatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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detonatesimple
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detonatessimple
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have detonatedperfect
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has detonatedperfect
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am detonatingprogressive
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are detonatingprogressive
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is detonatingprogressive
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have been detonatingperfect progressive
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has been detonatingperfect progressive
Past
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detonatedsimple
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had detonatedperfect
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was detonatingprogressive
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were detonatingprogressive
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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
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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All the Light We Cannot See
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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.
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
He said residents in towns south of Tyre left after hearing reports in the Lebanese media that Israel might detonate nearby.
From Barron's • Jun. 28, 2026
“Oil spikes don’t cause recessions alone — they detonate existing fragilities,” the Rapidan team said.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 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
My water powers would protect us both, and we’d detonate the charges from a quarter mile away.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
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.
