Synonyms

detonate

American

[det-n-eyt] / ˈdɛt nˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

detonated, detonating

to explode with suddenness and violence.

verb (used with object)

detonated, detonating

to cause (something explosive) to explode.

detonate British

/ ˈdɛtəˌneɪt /

verb

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

"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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The United States last test detonated a nuclear bomb in 1992.

From Barron's

If “One of Us” is an entertaining family saga of privilege and comeuppance, it is also a consummate novel of suspense in which revelations detonate with lethal accuracy.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We move carefully and extremely slowly so that the mine does not detonate," Vitalii says, describing the painstakingly slow process of demining.

From BBC

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023